The Armenian midfielder, who turned 35 this year, reflected on his long career in an interview with Sette, the Corriere della Sera magazine, where he spoke about his love for football, his famous coaches, and his pride in helping Inter win their 20th Scudetto.
"Football is my life. It makes me happy, that's how it was when I started, and that's how it is today," Mkhitaryan said.
He described Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi as "the Demon", praising his intensity and tactical drive. Mkhitaryan also looked back on his experiences under some of Europe's top managers, calling Arsene Wenger "elegant", Jurgen Klopp "crazy in a positive way", Thomas Tuchel "strategic", Paulo Fonseca "a football teacher", Jose Mourinho "a winner", and Cristian Chivu "an intelligent man."
When asked to name the best player he has played alongside, Mkhitaryan had no hesitation: "Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Training with him, you only learn, he fights for everything, every duel, every match."
The midfielder picked his goal in the 2017 Europa League final for Manchester United against Ajax as the most important of his career, while describing Inter's 2023–24 title win over rivals AC Milan as "incredible."
"We made history," he said. "To win the title at San Siro against Milan, it was destiny. The celebrations lasted more than eight hours from San Siro to the Duomo. It was tiring, but I'd do it again. That emotion will stay forever."
Mkhitaryan admitted that losing last season's Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain still hurts. "It was the match of our lives, and we lost in a way you never want to lose. But that's football, one wins, one doesn't. You have to accept it."
Despite an offer from Saudi Arabia, Mkhitaryan made it clear that he remains fully committed to Inter. "I said no, I'm Interista," he added. "I'd like to finish my career here, but it doesn't depend only on me."
Napoli scraped into the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday after surviving a nail-biting 9-8 penalty shoot-out win over Cagliari, following a 1-1 draw in regulation time at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
AC Milan's resurgence under Massimiliano Allegri has prompted growing belief that Serie A may be entering a new "Super Max" phase, with the Rossoneri unbeaten against the league's biggest sides heading into December.
AC Milan go into tonight's clash against Lazio at San Siro knowing that a win will lift them to the top of Serie A, at least overnight, and once again the focus falls on Luka Modric.
Antonio Conte has insisted that Scott McTominay is not being sacrificed after the Scotland midfielder battled through a heavy knock in Napoli's hard-fought 1–0 win away to Roma.
