Artur Yedigaryan ( hy, Արթուր Եդիգարյան; born 26 June 1987) is a retired

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player played as

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He is currently the assistant manager of

Sevan FC Sevan Football Club ( hy, Սևան Ֆորտբոլային Ակումբ), formerly Junior Sevan Football Club, is a football club based in Sevan, Armenia. It is currently the only football club that represents the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia. ...

. A former regular

Armenia national football team The Armenia national football team ( hy, Հայաստանի ֆուտբոլի ազգային հավաքական, ''Hayastani futboli azgayin havak'akan'') represents Armenia in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of ...

player, since 2018 more focused on

Western Armenia national football team The Western Armenia national football team ( hy, Արեւմտյան Հայաստանի Ֆուտբոլի ազգային հավաքական, translit=Arevmtyan Hayastani futbol azgayin havak'akan) is a football team representing the Armenians prima ...

in their CONIFA tournaments, Yedigaryan is a player who was instrumental in both

FC Pyunik Football Club Pyunik Yerevan ( hy, Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ Փյունիկ Երևան, Futbolayin Akumb P’yunik Yerevan), commonly known as Pyunik ("Phoenix (mythology), Phoenix"), is an Armenian professional sports club based in the ...

four consecutive Armenian championships from 2006 and 2009, and, most recently,

FC Alashkert Football Club Alashkert ( hy, Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ Ալաշկերտ), commonly known as Alashkert, is an Armenian football club based in the capital Yerevan, founded in 1990 in Martuni and after folding in 2000 re-founded in 2011 ...

dominance by winning three consecutive Armenian championships between 2015 and 2018. In between he had earned valuable experience abroad in Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, where he won one

cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...

, and the latest, in Serbia.

Club career

Artur Yedigaryan was born in Armenian capital

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

to a family of football players, being himself and his brother the third generation after his father and grandfather having been also professional footballers. Artur started playing football at the age of 6. The Yedigaryan's lived in a house located next to the Yerevan's Republican Stadium, the major stadium in the country. The first coach of Yedigaryan was Hovik Ghazanchyan. He is a graduate of football school

Pyunik Yerevan Football Club Pyunik Yerevan ( hy, Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ Փյունիկ Երևան, Futbolayin Akumb P’yunik Yerevan), commonly known as Pyunik (" Phoenix"), is an Armenian professional sports club based in the Kentron neighbourh ...

which at time dominated Aemrnian football. Aged 19 he became part of the first team and, as part of Pyunik, Yedigaryan became Armenian champion four times in a raw, winning the

Armenian Premier League The Armenian Premier League ( hy, VBET Հայաստանի Պրեմիեր Լիգա, known as the VBET Armenian Premier League for sponsorship reasons) is the top association football, football competition in Armenia. From 1936 to 1991, the compet ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, plus the

Armenian Cup The VBET Armenian Cup ( hy, Հայաստանի Անկախության Գավաթ) is the main football cup competition of Armenia. In its original form as the Armenian Cup, it started in 1939, when Armenia was a republic of the Soviet Union. It s ...

and the

Armenian Supercup The Armenian Supercup is a match that is played between the Armenian Premier League Champion and Armenian Cup The VBET Armenian Cup ( hy, Հայաստանի Անկախության Գավաթ) is the main football (soccer), football cup competitio ...

in 2007 and 2008. Before the end of the

in 2009, Yedigaryan was loaned to the

PAS Hamedan PAS Hamedan Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال پاس همدان, ''Bashgag-e Futbal-e Pas Hemidan'') is an Iranian football club based in Hamedan, Iran and compete in the Azadegan League. The club was formed after the dissolution of P ...

club in the

Iran Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...

. which was his first experience abroad. Upon termination of the contract with Hamedan, Yedigaryan, again on loan, went to Banants Yerevan, becoming the first rookie club in anticipation of the club to participate in the European Cup. Productively after playing six-month on the contract, Edigaryan returned to Pyunik. In December, Bulgarian media reported that the Bulgarian club Chernomorets Burgas is interested in his services. However, the coaching staff did not comment on this information, and the offer ended rejected. In early 2012,

Khimki Khimki ( rus, Химки, p=ˈxʲimkʲɪ) is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, 18.25 kilometres northwest of central Moscow, and immediately beyond the Moscow city boundary. History Origins and formation Khimki was initially a railway station tha ...

, a club from metropolitan area of Russian capital Moscow, expressed interest in Yerdigaryan. He joined the team for training camp. Due to financial disagreements between the clubs, the football transfer took long to be confirmed. However, on 24 February, Yedigaryan signed with Khimki. Details of the transfer were not released. In late June, Yedigaryan, along his compatriot Artak Aleksanyan, left the club. He returned to his native club Pyunik by early August, being the main signing along with Tigran Kandikyan and Eric Yeghiazaryan. Yedigaryan entered into an agreement with the club until the end of the 2012-13 season. In the short first game, he was released in the starting lineup against Impuls FC Dilijan. At the 67th minute, he was replaced by Artur Grigoryan. In mid-August, Yedigaryan traveled to Uzhhorod, Ukraine, where he held a preview at local club

Hoverla Uzhhorod Football Club Hoverla Uzhhorod ( ) was a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club based in Uzhhorod. Following the end of the 2015–16 Ukrainian Premier League, 2015–16 season it was expelled from the Ukrainian Premier Leagu ...

. He passed the reials and the club signed Yedigaryan giving him the number 22. On 25 August, in the 7th round of the

Ukrainian Premier League The Ukrainian Premier League ( uk, "Українська Прем'єр-ліга", ''Ukrayinska Premier Liha'') or UPL is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Vyshcha Liha ( uk, Вища ліга, ''Top League'') ...

, he made his debut in the away game against

Illichivets Mariupol Football Club Mariupol ( uk, Футбольний клуб "Маріуполь" ) was a Ukrainian professional football club based in Mariupol, that competed in the Ukrainian Premier League. The club ceased to exist as a result of the Siege of ...

. He played 60 minutes and was replaced after the first goal was scored by

Sotiris Balafas Sotiris Balafas ( el, Σωτήρης Μπαλάφας; born 19 August 1986) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder. He is a defensive midfielder known for his defensive awareness, his tackling and heading skills a ...

. After a spell in Ukraine, Yedigaryan signed with Kazakh side

FC Kairat Football Club Kairat ( kk, Qaırat Fýtbol Klýby) is a professional association football, football club based in Almaty, which plays in the Kazakhstan Premier League, the highest level of Football in Kazakhstan, Kazakh football. Founded in 1954 ...

. He played with Kairat the second half of the 2013 and the entire 2014 season. In both seasons he finished 3rd in the league, however, the second season was more successful since he won the

2014 Kazakhstan Cup The 2014 Kazakhstan Cup is the 23rd season of the Kazakhstan Cup, the annual nationwide football cup competition of Kazakhstan since the independence of the country. The competition begins on 22 April 2014, and will end with the final in November ...

. He was released by

following the completion of the 2014 season, signing for

FC Dinamo Minsk FC Dinamo Minsk ( be, ФК Дынама Мінск, ''FK Dynama Minsk''; russian: link=no, ФК Динамо Минск) is a professional football club based in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk. It was founded in 1927 as part of the Sovi ...

in March 2015. He played regularly with Dinamo Minsk, however, in summer 2015, he received an offer from a new Armenian powerhouse,

, that he could not reject. He ended making the right decision, the club was forming a strong team that ended winning three consecutive Armenian titles, Yediganyan had all major role in. In its fourth season, the club failed to repeat the national title, and finished 4th in the league, this meant Yedirganyan was finishing a successful cycle, not before crowning his spell at Alashket with a

2018–19 Armenian Cup The 2018–19 Armenian Cup was the 28th edition of the football knockout competition in Armenia. This season's cup winners earned a place in the 2019–20 Europa League. The tournament began on 19 September 2018 and ended on 7 May 2019. Gandzasa ...

title. On 5 June 2019, Yedigaryan was released by Alashkert along with six other players. Hpwever, he was picked by Serbian club

FK Proleter Novi Sad FK Proleter Novi Sad () is a defunct football club based in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. They competed in the Serbian SuperLiga for four seasons between 2018 and 2022, before merging with RFK Novi Sad 1921. History Founded in 1951, the club won t ...

, a recently promoted

Serbian SuperLiga The Serbian Super League ( sr, Супер лига Србије / Super liga Srbije), referred to as the Mozzart Bet Super League ( sr, Моцарт Бет Супер лига / Mozzart Bet Super liga) for sponsorship reasons, is a Serbian profes ...

club that saw in his experience a valuable reinforcement for their 2019–20 campaign. Although he started at the bench, he entered in the game as substitute in the second half of the first SuperLiga round.Artur Yedigaryan
at Soccerway However, after 3 league appearances, he left Proleter and returned to Armenia to

where he played until December 2019 when he retired.

International career

Artur Yedigaryan made his debut for the Armenia national team on 2 February 2008 in an away

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. In 2015 he made his 41 appearances and ever since has been less active in the Amernian national team.Artur Yedigaryan
at National-Football-Teams.com Instead, in May 2018, Yedigaryan was called up to represent

Western Armenia Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...

in the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup. In June 2018, Yedigaryan was called up to represent Western Armenia in the

2019 CONIFA European Football Cup The 2019 Sportsbet.io CONIFA European Football Cup was the third edition of the CONIFA European Football Cup, an international football tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA with an affiliation ...

Personal life

Artur's younger brother Artak Yedigaryan also plays for the

. Their father, Gegham Yedigaryan, was a Soviet football player and their grandfather Felix Veranyan was also a football player and is currently a football manager. Artur is married to a woman named Gayane. The couple were classmates and have a daughter.

Coaching career

Yedigaryan retired at the end of 2019, and on 20 January 2020, he was appointed assistant manager of

.Ուրախ ենք տեղեկացնել, որ «Սևան» ՖԱ-ի շարքերն է համալրել, վերջերս ֆուտբոլիստի...
facebook.com, 20 January 2020

Honours

Pyunik *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

: 2007, 2008 Kairat *

Kazakhstan Cup The Kazakhstan Cup is the main knockout cup competition in Kazakhstan football, run by the Football Federation of Kazakhstan. The tournament was initially founded in 1936 as a competition for clubs in the Kazakh SSR ; kk, Қазақ Сове� ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Alashkert *

: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 *

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

References

External links

Profile at Football Federation of Armenia
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yedigaryan, Artur 1987 births Living people Armenian men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Armenia men's international footballers Armenian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Iran Expatriate men's footballers in Russia Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine Armenian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Expatriate men's footballers in Serbia Expatriate men's footballers in Kazakhstan Expatriate men's footballers in Belarus Armenian Premier League players Ukrainian Premier League players Kazakhstan Premier League players Serbian SuperLiga players FC Pyunik players PAS Tehran F.C. players FC Urartu players FC Khimki players FC Hoverla Uzhhorod players FC Kairat players FC Dinamo Minsk players FC Alashkert players FK Proleter Novi Sad players Western Armenia men's international footballers