Maybe in one week or two weeks we will stop here. [45], 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6, "Alexander Hleb: Arsenal's most beautiful loser", "Playboy from Minsk making capital gains", "Aliaksandr Hleb profile on MasterCard UEFA Champions League", "International Midfielder Agrees To Join Arsenal", "UEFA Champions League 2005/6 History - Barcelona/Arsenal Lineups", "Hleb rejects Inter Milan to rejoin Stuttgart", "Alexander Hleb joins Stuttgart on season-long loan from Barcelona", "Alexander Hleb relishing challenge at Birmingham City", "Aleksandr Hleb rules out return to Birmingham City", "Wolfsburg opt against extending injury-hit Alexander Hleb's loan", "Ex-Barça Star Hleb Joins Russian Side Krylya Sovietov", "Konyaspor Hleb'i 1,5 yıllığına renklerine bağladı", "Alexander Hleb: Former Arsenal favourite joins Turkish club Genclerbirligi SK - Transfers - Football - The Independent", "LG Cup Four Nations Tournament (Moskva) 2002", "Alexander Hleb reveals regret at leaving Arsène Wenger and Arsenal", "Alyaksandr Hleb again shares his girlfriend's photo online", "Belarus' best footballer Alex Hleb becomes father", "UEFA Intertoto Cup: Fixtures and Results: Match specific: Stuttgart 2–0 Lille", "Carling Cup - Final - Arsenal v Birmingham City - Wembley Stadium", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexander_Hleb&oldid=981691096, Belarusian expatriate sportspeople in Germany, Belarusian expatriate sportspeople in England, Belarusian expatriate sportspeople in Spain, Belarusian expatriate sportspeople in Russia, Belarusian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey, Articles with dead external links from October 2011, Articles containing Belarusian-language text, Articles containing Russian-language text, Articles with German-language sources (de), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 December 2019, This page was last edited on 3 October 2020, at 21:25.
Since then, he's had spells in England, Turkey, and back in Belarus, which he says isn't taking the coronavirus very seriously and has the only European league still playing. FC Kaiserslautern, coming on as a substitute for the last 20 minutes. On 22 August, Hleb wore the captain's armband for the first time in a 2–1 win against Israel. Hleb featured briefly in the Copa del Rey final but did not play when Barcelona went on to beat Manchester United 2–0 in the Champions League final. It’s incredible. In 2002–03, Stuttgart finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga and enjoyed a UEFA Champions League victory over Manchester United and Hleb had become established as the team's playmaker. On 16 July 2008, a medical examination was held for the player at FC Barcelona, with his transfer completed later that day for a fee of €15 million plus an additional €2 million if Barcelona won the La Liga title in 2008–09 or 2009–10 (which they did in 2008–09, bringing his total fee to €17 million). 'It was totally my fault [for not succeeding at Barcelona], not Guardiola’s,' he told Spanish newspaper Marca. Hleb returned to the Premier League in 2010, spending a season on-loan at Birmingham City and also had spells at Stuttgart and Wolfsburg. [31] The club confirmed he would leave at the scheduled end of the loan on 31 December 2011. [11] Arsène Wenger used Hleb at many different midfield positions, but he mainly played on the right wing for Arsenal. On 4 January 2014, Hleb signed a contract with Torku Konyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig for one-and-a-half years, with an option to extend the contract for an additional year. But be stronger than this.’, “But I still felt like there was a knife in my back. [24] An ankle injury sustained on international duty delayed his debut until 18 September, when he played 83 minutes in a 3–1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion. I myself behaved like a fool. [27] Injury disrupted his season, forcing him to miss Birmingham's victory over Arsenal in the League Cup final. Hleb's natural and preferred position is attacking midfielder or "in the hole" behind the strikers, but he is often deployed on the wing. [41], In 2003, Hleb was involved in a car crash in Minsk, after which a passenger in the other car died in hospital. But after three years at the Emirates, Barcelona and Pep Guardiola came calling and Hleb could not say no to joining the likes of Andres Iniesta and Xavi. However, things did not go according to plan. “Arsene truly feels his players. [28][29], On 31 August 2011, Hleb was loaned out to VfL Wolfsburg. He scored on his second international start in a 5–2 victory over Hungary in April 2002. Hleb played 55 minutes in the first game of the 2009–10 Bundesliga season, away to VfL Wolfsburg, a match Stuttgart lost 2–0. Alexander Hleb has admitted he 'behaved like a fool' during a disappointing Barcelona career, He was one of Pep Guardiola's first signings at Camp Nou but failed to live up to expectations. I could understand him because I didn’t behave well enough myself. Being the most famous sports star in Belarus brings its suitors. Published: 16:16 BST, 25 March 2020 | Updated: 16:17 BST, 25 March 2020. For other inquiries, Contact Us. [44] Sviatlana's daughter from a previous marriage lives with the couple. Despite a hamstring injury, Hleb made 48 appearances in the 2006–07 season and scored three goals.
He played 130 times for the Gunners from 2005-08, scoring 10 goals, then moved to Barcelona for around £12million. Hleb's best years were under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.
But it was incredibly painful.”. Hleb admitted his offence, ending his season. And Guardiola duly obliged the Nou Camp faithful by not picking him for the most important game of the season, which felt like a knife in the back for the player. "So, as I was trying to recover from it, I told Arsene that maybe it would make sense to send me on loan to Germany or something. Comments are subject to our community guidelines, which can be viewed, Alexander Hleb was a fans' favourite at the Emirates, Hleb played alongside Arsenal heroes including Cesc Fabregas, Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie, Belarus legend Hleb loved his three years at Arsenal, In 2008 Barcelona paid £12m for Hleb and he shed a tear when he left the Gunners, Singer Anastasia Kosenkova was Hleb's first wife, Kosenkova and Hleb split after six years of marriage, The loved-up couple had their first child together that same year, Pep Guardiola failed to get the best out of Hleb, Hleb and Guardiola fell out when the Belarusian was dropped for the Champions League final, Arsene Wenger was like a father figure to Hleb, Wenger believed in Hleb and gave him the confidence to be a better player, Ex-Arsenal ace Alexander Hleb says ‘no one cares’ about coronavirus in Belarus as football season continues, Hleb's best years were under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. [17], In March 2009, after featuring irregularly for the team – starting only five games in La Liga – Hleb admitted that he would readily accept an offer from Bayern Munich, if such an opportunity arose in the summer. In 2008 Barcelona paid £12m for Hleb and he shed a tear when he left the Gunners Credit: EPA "I loved every aspect - seeing the faces of my partners, my friends during training sessions. Bayern is among the best teams in the world."[18]. [3][4] A full international for Belarus since 2001, he has won over 70 caps for his country. "I Hleb, now 38, admitted he cried his eyes out at leaving his spiritual North London home.
[38] Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. When strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo recovered from injuries Arsène Wenger reverted to a 4–4–2 formation and Hleb returned to playing on the wing. It's a shame we didn't take a single title, but the enjoyment we had was unparalleled. Then, after playing in Stuttgart's 4–2 victory over SC Freiburg, Hleb scored his first goal for Stuttgart, during a Champions League qualifier against Timișoara in a 2–0 away win for the German side. 'I made a couple of mistakes, but I have good memories from all the clubs.'. He made his full international debut as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat against Wales in 2001. After a disappointing La Liga campaign in the 2008-09 season, many were calling for Hleb to be dropped from the Barcelona first team. On 31 August 2010, Hleb returned to England by signing a season-long loan deal with Premier League club Birmingham City. [7] He made his Bundesliga debut on 5 September 2000 in an away match at 1. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. 'He did everything possible to help me quickly adapt to the country and the group, and to learn the language. The group was very good. It was really hard for me to accept that. The former Arsenal midfielder became one of Pep Guardiola's first signings when he made the move to Camp Nou in 2008.
[20][21][22][23] It really felt like I had wings. His first wife was pop singer Anastasia Kosenkova, who was a member of Belarusian pop group Topless. In the summer of 2008, Alexander Hleb made what appeared to be a dream move from Arsenal to Barcelona. In 2002, he was voted Belarusian Footballer of the Year.[9]. His Barcelona contract was terminated by mutual consent in January 2012 after making just 36 appearances in four years. [32], After Hleb's contract with Barcelona was cancelled by mutual consent during the January 2012 transfer window,[33] he signed for Russian Premier League club Krylia Sovetov Samara until the end of the season.[34]. Rapid Vienna 1-2 Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and David Luiz inspire comeback for the Gunners during... 'What the **** were you doing?'
Two years passed, and Hleb was walking down the aisle again with pretty brunette Sviatlana. ", Reguilon in for Madrid return months after Spurs signing due to buy-back clause, Bale's cross deflected for own goal as rampant Spurs run riot, Solskjaer sick of Greenwood’s attitude with Utd star late for training TWICE, Van Dijk injury 'worse than feared' with concerns he will NOT be same player, Man Utd’s academy hits and misses including Beckham, Pogba & Morrison, ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. In 2016, the pair welcomed his first child together at the age of 36, a daughter, and they have another daughter from her previous marriage. “During my first season in England, I picked up in injury while playing for the national team," Hleb revealed. Hleb was always a popular figure at Arsenal, and the fans reciprocated the effort he brought to the team by inventing a song to the tune of Johnnie Allan's Rubber Dolly, "Alexander Hleb, Alexander Hleb, He's good at football, Alexander Hleb".
There were high expectations of the Belarusian when he arrived for £12million but he failed to hit the ground running as Barca went on to have on of their most successful periods in history. How is this possible? Wenger was having none of it, though, and backed his man. "This is good, because you have to try and stop it. He is known for his passing, agility and dribbling ability. Spotted by scouts, Alexander and his younger brother Vyacheslav were signed in 2000 by German Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart for approximately €150,000. Hleb signed a four-year contract with a buy-out clause of €90 million.
ALEXANDER HLEB is regarded as the best footballer Belarus has ever produced. Hleb grew up in Minsk. 'Training with those players was incredible, they were stars. After suffering an injury in his first season at the Emirates, his confidence was drained and he wanted to move back to the Bundesliga, where Arsenal had bought him from Stuttgart. Uefa have done the right thing. On our shores, he's most famous for his time at Arsenal - dancing down the right wing in a Gunners midfield which featured Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song and Samir Nasri. At some point, I realised, ‘Oh god! ‘Alex, I won’t let you go, we need you here.’ I cried when I read it.”. But it was Arsenal where the versatile Belarusian midfielder played the best football in his career – and eventually earned himself a £ 12million move to Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in the summer of 2008. In July 2009, Hleb returned to VfB Stuttgart on a one-year loan. At the age of 17, he signed for BATE Borisov, a Belarusian Premier League team from Barysaw. Hleb was cleared of any responsibility for the accident. [42], Hleb was married to Anastasia Kosenkova, ex-singer of the Belarusian pop group Topless, from 2008 until 2014.
Aleksandr Hleb former footballer from Belarus Attacking Midfield last club: Isloch Minskiy Rayon * May 1, 1981 in Minsk, UdSSR To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Hleb went on to win the 2008–09 treble with Barcelona in his first season with the club. Maybe our President is just waiting to see what happens with the virus.". And then I decided to leave. His competitive debut was made in August 2005 against Chelsea in the 2005 FA Community Shield, and then he made his league debut as a substitute against Newcastle United. The comments below have not been moderated.