SPORTSWORLD.AM
Rubin and Armenian national team midfielder Uguchukwu Iwu spoke about the club's goals, the Armenian national team's chances at the 2026 World Cup, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in an interview with RB Sport.
"The motivation of all the players is quite simple: to play football and enjoy the process. At the moment, Rubin is motivated by the desire to win every game, climb as high as possible in the standings, and make their fans happy."
It's still early to talk about plans for next season, let's finish this one first. I think Rubin can fight for Russian Championship medals and a victory in the Cup.
I have great hope and believe that the Armenian national team will one day play in the World or European Championship. I can say that we will fight to the end against the teams of Hungary, Ireland and Portugal, with whom we are involved in the World Cup qualifying round. Yes, it will be difficult to reach the final round, but this is the most unpredictable sport.
We saw how Georgia performed at the European Championship, didn't we? I think the Armenian team can reach the final round of the 2026 World Cup.
It's hard to talk about the big defeat to Georgia. But we shouldn't forget that the Armenian national team has a new head coach, who hasn't had time to hold many training sessions yet. In addition, some players had injuries.
The 1:9 defeat does not reflect the current state of Armenian football. Let's remember how Brazil lost to Germany 1:7. Such things sometimes happen in football.
After the defeat, we were all in a bad mood in the locker room, we had a very serious conversation with the head coach. Believe me, we will recover from the defeat.
John van't Schip is a great professional. I'm a football player whose job is to train and play, it's not for me to evaluate the coach. But I think he will bring great benefit to Armenian football.
I think all footballers want to play for top clubs in Europe. I am no exception. But at the moment I am focused on Rubin.
"Of course, I wish Henrikh Mkhitaryan's Inter success in the Champions League. He is a living legend of Armenian football. If Inter wins the Champions League, I will send a congratulatory letter to Mkhitaryan."