Former Arsenal and Manchester United star Henrikh Mkhitaryan was asked to build his perfect player, and he gives a Chelsea legend his flowers.
Chelsea have seen a lot of quality come through the doors at Stamford Bridge.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has 19 years of professional experience under his belt, competing in Armenia, Ukraine, Germany, England and Italy over the course of his storied career.
As such, his opinion on who the best of the best are carries some weight.
To get an idea of the company this Chelsea man is in, Mkhitaryan picked Messi’s vision, Cristiano Ronaldo’s physicality, and Zinedine Zidane’s passing. But for leadership, he picked the greatest captain to grace Stamford Bridge.
Mkhitaryan thinks John Terry’s leadership is the best he’s seen
John Terry spent 19 years at Chelsea, amassing five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, and a Champions League, to name a few, and Mkhitaryan holds his leadership ability in the highest regard.
When Marcel Desailly departed, Terry was given the armband and led Chelsea to the title on his first attempt. He is, without a doubt, the greatest leader in the club’s history and a solid pick from the Armenian.
When you look at Chelsea today, they could use a John Terry.
In fact, it feels fair to say that Terry’s leadership and quality would elevate this Chelsea side to true title contention. His dedication to winning was unmatched, and the technical ability he possessed is criminally underrated.
- READ MORE: John Terry replacing Petr Cech after horror injury was no coincidence, it was classic Jose Mourinho
Mkhitaryan’s Jose Mourinho reveal
On the topic of Mkhitaryan discussing Chelsea icons, it feels pertinent to mention a less favourable opinion he has about his old manager.
Mkhitaryan, who still plays a pivotal role for Inter Milan, recently released an autobiography with a large part dedicated to his time in England.
While at Old Trafford, he came under fierce pressure from Jose Mourinho, who wanted him to leave.
The then-Man United boss wanted to change things up, and rather harshly: “He said ‘I never want to see you again.’, he would not say a word in training, but every night he’d send a text saying; ‘Leave so I can get Alexis.'”
Some will say Mourinho went too far on this occasion, while others will say that’s just how the Portuguese operates. Mkhitaryan is no doubt in the former camp.
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