In 1989, when I was just a baby, we moved to France because of some conflicts that were brewing in Armenia.

I will not retreat; I will find the strength to reach my goal.

When I came first to Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp said, 'Listen, Mkhitaryan, it's your family name - it's too long. So Henrikh, it's too long. Let's call you Micki. Are you okay?' I said, 'Okay, no problem.' And since that day, they started calling me Micki.

If you play football, you have to try to do the maximum, so I'm always doing the maximum for myself because, after my football career, I want to sit down and think I did something good.

My mum never once tried to push me into something different, even though there was no way of making a living out of women's football. She supported me because she saw I was happy and that it gave me a focus to not be hanging around on the street.

The thing is, my dad's always been more of a bookworm; he was interested in more intellectual pursuits, but nobody can escape the passion that football stirs.

I did always dream of being a professional player. I think every kid does dream of being a pro, but to last the journey you have to love tennis as a sport and if you are lucky enough to make it in the pros, it is really a bonus.

Democracy is not a spectator sport, it's a participatory event. If we don't participate in it, it ceases to be a democracy.