Aliaksandr Hleb

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Aliaksandr Hleb
Personal information
Full name Aliaksandr Paŭlavič Hleb
Date of birth May 1, 1981 (age 25)
Place of birth    Minsk, Flag of BelarusBelarus
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Arsenal
Number 13
Youth clubs
1987-1998
1998-1999		 Dinamo Minsk
BATE Borisov
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1999-2000
2000-2005
2005-present		 Flag of BelarusBATE Borisov
Flag of GermanyVfB Stuttgart
Flag of EnglandArsenal		 024 (4)
137 (13)
045 (5)   
National team2
2001-present Belarus 027 (4)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 14:21, 28 December 2006 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of November 18th, 2006.
* Appearances (Goals)

Aliaksandr Paŭlavič Hleb, sometimes referred to in English as Alexander Hleb (Belarusian: Алякса́ндар Па́ўлавіч Глеб, born May 1, 1981 in Minsk), is a Belarusian footballer who plays in midfield for Arsenal and the Belarus national team. His natural position is attacking midfielder, but at Arsenal he has generally been used on right wing.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Childhood

Hleb grew up in Minsk, his mother was a builder while his father drove petrol tankers. His father was "volunteered" to help knock down uninhabitable houses in the Ukraine as the result of the Chernobyl disaster. Hleb believes this exposure to radiation has caused his father ill health.

[edit] Early career

Hleb developed playing football on the concrete pitches of FC Dinamo Minsk school. At 17 he signed for BATE Borisov, a Premier League team just north of Minsk. The next season they won the Championship.

[edit] Stuttgart

Spotted by scouts he and his younger brother, Vyacheslav Hleb, were signed in 2000 by Germany side VfB Stuttgart for approximately €150,000.[1] He quickly established himself as one of the most important players of the side.[citation needed]

In 2002-03 Stuttgart finished runners-up in the Bundesliga and enjoyed a Champions League victory over Manchester United and Hleb had become established as the team's playmaker. However, after team manager Felix Magath left to join Bayern Munich, Stuttgart were not as successful under new coach Matthias Sammer.[specify] Nevertheless, Hleb was top of the assist chart in his last season of the Bundesliga.[citation needed]

[edit] Arsenal

On June 28, 2005 he joined English side Arsenal for a sum which may reach £10million, depending on performance;[citation needed] he agreed to a 4-year contract with Arsenal. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has used Hleb at many different midfield positions, but Hleb has mainly played on the right wing for Arsenal.

He scored his first goal on his debut for the Gunners, in a pre-season friendly within two minutes of coming off the bench at half-time. On August 21, 2005 he played his first competitive match for Arsenal, away to Chelsea. However, soon after, Hleb sustained a knee injury while on international duty with Belarus and was out for several months. Finding it hard to settle he was linked with a move back to Germany.[citation needed]

He returned to the Arsenal first team squad in December, playing 60 minutes in Arsenal's final UEFA Champions League group stage match against Ajax Amsterdam on December 7. By January 2006 Hleb had established himself as a first choice player, and featured in Arsenal's Champions League run to the final against FC Barcelona, in which he started.

On September 26, 2006 he scored the second goal for Arsenal in the Champions League match against F.C. Porto to give Arsenal a 2-0 victory, and scored again for Arsenal on October 22, 2006 against Reading, his first goal for Arsenal away from home.

As of April 7, 2007 Hleb has played 80 matches for Arsenal, scoring six goals.

[edit] International career

Hleb won over 30 caps for the Under 21 side. He made his full international debut as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat against Wales in 2001. He scored on his first international start in a 5-2 victory over Hungary in April 2002. In November 2006, former Belarussian captain, Surgei Gurenko, launched a vicious criticism on Hleb for not working hard in national team settings. However, Hleb rejected any suggestion that he was a prima donna.[2]

[edit] Personal life

He lives in Hampstead, north London.[3] In 2003 he was involved in a car crash in Minsk, a passenger in the other car later died.[4] His brother Vyacheslav Hleb is also a footballer who plays for FC MTZ-RIPO and the national team.

[edit] Arsenal Career stats

(Correct as of 8 April, 2007)

Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Arsenal 2005–06 25 3 0 5 0 - 10 0 - 40 3 -
2006–07 25 2 3 5 0 1 10 1 - 40 3 4
Total 80 6 4

[edit] Honours

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Aliaksandr Hleb profile on MasterCard UEFA Champions League", MasterCard. Retrieved on July 18, 2006.
  2. ^ "Ex-Belarus captain blasts Hleb", SkySports. Retrieved on November 1, 2006.
  3. ^ "Playboy from Minsk making capital gains", Guardian Unlimited, March 26, 2006. Retrieved on July 18, 2006.
  4. ^ "Hleb death smash hell", The Sun Online. Retrieved on July 18, 2006.

[edit] External links


Arsenal F.C. - Current Squad

1 Lehmann | 2 Diaby | 4 Fàbregas | 5 Touré | 6 Senderos | 7 Rosický | 8 Ljungberg | 9 Baptista | 10 Gallas | 11 van Persie | 13 Hleb | 14 Henry | 15 Denílson | 16 Flamini | 19 Gilberto | 20 Djourou | 21 Poom | 22 Clichy | 24 Almunia | 25 Adebayor | 27 Eboué | 30 Aliadière | 31 Hoyte | 32 Walcott | 33 Connolly | 43 Randall | 45 Traoré | Manager: Wenger




Persondata
NAME Hleb, Aliaksandr
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hleb, Alexander; Глеб, Аляксандар; Hleb, Aliaksandr Paŭlavič
SHORT DESCRIPTION Belarusian footballer
DATE OF BIRTH 1 May 1981
PLACE OF BIRTH Minsk
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
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