"A piece of shit": ex-BVB star reveals bust-up with Mourinho | OneFootball

"A piece of shit": ex-BVB star reveals bust-up with Mourinho | OneFootball

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·12 October 2025

"A piece of shit": ex-BVB star reveals bust-up with Mourinho

Article image:"A piece of shit": ex-BVB star reveals bust-up with Mourinho

Former BVB star Henrikh Mkhitaryan reveals details about his time under José Mourinho in his autobiography. A major clash occurred between him and the star coach at Manchester United.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has provided explosive insights into his time at Manchester United in his autobiography "My Life Always at the Center" – revealing a heated chapter with coach José Mourinho.


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The Armenian, who transferred from Borussia Dortmund to the Red Devils in 2016, describes how the relationship with Mourinho was difficult from the start. After months of growing tensions, it finally escalated.

"I told him: You've been criticizing me for a year and a half, since I joined Manchester United. Mourinho told me I was 'shit,' and I just lost it. I replied that he was a piece of shit. A huge one," Mkhitaryan writes in his book. The star coach then coldly sent him out of the room with the words: "Get out of here, I never want to see you again."

With that, the relationship was irreparably damaged. According to Mkhitaryan, Mourinho subsequently wanted to push him out of the club. "During training, he didn't speak to me. But every evening he sent a message on WhatsApp: 'Miki, please leave.' I always replied with the same words: 'I will leave when I find the right club, otherwise I will stay until the summer,'" reported the former BVB star.

Reconciliation between ex-BVB star Mkhitaryan and Mourinho

Mkhitaryan describes in his book that Mourinho used "psycho tricks" on him. The coach's behavior was for him "a kind of religious silence" – complete radio silence on the training ground, but constant messages in the evening.

In January 2018, Mkhitaryan finally left Manchester United – in a swap deal with Alexis Sánchez, he moved to Arsenal FC. Just 18 months earlier, United had paid around 42 million euros to Borussia Dortmund; the club received about 34 million euros from the resale.

In Rome, Mkhitaryan met Mourinho again in 2021, who had taken over as coach there. Many expected a continuation of the old conflict – but the opposite happened. "On the first day, we hugged immediately," Mkhitaryan recalled. Together, they even won the UEFA Conference League in Rome – the dispute from the past was finally over.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

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