Aliaksandr Hleb

Alexander Hleb
Hleb At Underhill Stadium.jpg
Personal information
Full name Aliaksandr Paŭlavič Hleb
Date of birth 1 May 1981 (1981-05-01) (age 28)
Place of birth    Minsk, Belarus
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Attacking midfielder / Winger
Club information
Current club FC Barcelona
Number 21
Youth clubs
1987–1998
1998–1999		 Dinamo Minsk
BATE Borisov
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1999–2000
2000–2005
2005–2008
2008–		 BATE
Stuttgart
Arsenal
FC Barcelona		 012 0(4)
137 (13)
089 0(7)
005 0(0)   
National team2
2001– Belarus 044 0(4)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 17:45, 28 May 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 12:00, 17 October 2008 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Aliaksandr Paŭlavič Hleb, sometimes referred to in English as Alexander Hleb or Alexander Gleb[1] (Belarusian: Аляксандр Паўлавіч Глеб, IPA: [alʲa'ksandar ɣlʲeb]; Russian: Александр Павлович Глеб, born 1 May 1981 in Minsk), is a Belarusian footballer who plays in midfield for Barcelona and the Belarus national team. His natural and preferred position is attacking midfielder or 'in the hole' behind the strikers, but has often played as a right midfielder.

Contents

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 Ukraine as the result of the Chernobyl disaster. Hleb believes this exposure to radiation has caused his father ill health. Before getting involved with football, Hleb was a keen swimmer and gymnast.[2]

Club career

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

VfB Stuttgart

Spotted by scouts, Aliaksandr and his younger brother, Vyacheslav Hleb, were signed in 2000 by German Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart for approximately €150,000.[3] He made his Bundesliga debut on 5 September 2000 in an away match at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, coming on as a substitute for the last 20 minutes.[4] Despite only making six league appearances in his first season with Stuttgart, Hleb became a regular at the club in his second season there and went on to establish himself as one of the most important players of the side.

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 in the summer of 2004, Stuttgart were not as successful under new coach Matthias Sammer, having finished the 2004-05 season in fifth place.[5] Nevertheless, Hleb was on top of the assist chart in his last season in the Bundesliga.

Arsenal

2005–06 season

Hleb playing for Arsenal

On 28 June 2005 he joined English side Arsenal for a sum which may reach €15,000,000 (£10.3m in July 2005 exchange rates);[6] he agreed to a 4-year contract with Arsenal. The 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' against Barnet FC at the Underhill stadium, in a pre-season friendly within two minutes of coming off the bench at half-time. On 21 August 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.[7] 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 7 December. By January 2006 Hleb had established himself as a first choice player, and scored his first official goal for Arsenal in a 7–0 win over Middlesbrough. Hleb did not start in the next few Premiership games, but it was in the Champions League where he showed all the potential he had. When he did get to start again at Highbury, another goal was added to his Premier League count in the win over Charlton. On 15 April, he scored his third goal against West Bromwich, giving his team a lead right before the half-time. A month later, on 17 May, Alexander Hleb became the first ever Belarusian footballer to play in the Champions League Final. Hleb ended the season with 40 appearances and three goals. Nevertheless, the Gunners could only muster a fourth place that season.

2006–07 season

The 2006–07 season started well for Hleb. In the first game against Dinamo Zagreb (Champions League qualifying), the Belrussian claimed two assists in a 3–0 victory. Now a regular starter, Hleb was quickly becoming an impact player in Arsène Wenger's side, and gaining respect from the fans. The "thank you supporters" came when he scored his fourth goal for Arsenal, and first at Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium in a 2–0 win over Porto on 26 September during the group stage of the Champions League. After Thierry Henry slipped the ball to Hleb, Alexander sniped it into the far corner. A month later, Hleb scored again against Reading F.C. after playing a three pass combination with Tomáš Rosický. This was also his first goal away from home. On 23 December, Hleb scored Arsenal's second goal against Blackburn, to put Arsenal back in to the lead in a game they went on to win 6–2. Soon after, Alexander injured his hamstring and missed some games. Hleb, however, would make a quick comeback and in three weeks he was back on a pitch. By the end of the season, Hleb appeared in 48 matches, of which he started 40, scoring three goals. The team, to great disappointment, ended up in the fourth place for the second season in a row, after finishing top two for the previous eight seasons.

2007–08 season

That summer, Alex told Russian reporter that he dreams of scoring ten goals during the season, when he was asked who will replace Thierry Henry as Arsenal's goal provider. During pre-season, Hleb was moved from the right wing and played behind Robin Van Persie in the "hole". This proved a success with Hleb looking more comfortable in this position, and more of a threat to the opposition. On 12 August, against Fulham F.C. in Arsenal's first Premier League game of the season, Hleb again played there and scored a vital goal to seal a 2–1 victory for Arsenal. He followed that up in the next game with another goal in a Champions League 3rd qualifying round first-leg game against Sparta in Prague, the game ending 2–0 to Arsenal. Both of his goals were scored in the 90th minute. When strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo da Silva recovered from injuries, however, Arsène Wenger went back to his favourite 4-4-2 formation and Hleb returned playing on flanks. But even there, he remained one of Arsenal's most noticeable playmakers, highlighting games with his ball control and passing. In Arsenal's third Barclays league game versus then perfect record Manchester City, he once again helped Arsenal win late in the game when he dribbled brilliantly into the penalty box past 2 defenders and assisted Cesc Fàbregas in scoring the winning goal, ending Kasper Schmeichel's record of more than 350 minutes of football without conceding a goal since the start of the season. On 23 October in the Champions League group 7–0 win over Slavia Prague, Alex played his best game so far in the season. He impacted five of six goals during which he was on the pitch: he scored two goals (first, ricocheted from the defender into the net and was later considered an own goal), assisted Cesc Fàbregas and Theo Walcott in scoring two, and started another attack that resulted in one more goal, before being substituted for Tomáš Rosický on 63 minute with the score at 6–0. He later became the man of the match, receiving the highest grade on Sky Sports fan poll at 9.5 for the game. Next match, Hleb once more played an important role for Arsenal as he assisted Fàbregas again in scoring the late equalizer in the important league match against Liverpool away at Anfield. Two league games later, Alexander again showed his skills when he scored an impressive goal after "dancing" right in front of the Reading F.C. goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann in a one-on-one situation. Alex has been described by Sky Sports pundit Andy Gray as one of the most "skillful" players in the Premier League. Starting in late November, he had a slight dip in form, after an injury that kept him out for two or three weeks. After his injury and a few unimpressive performances he hit form again, with constantly improving performances, and seemed to have returned to top form with a great display against AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League tie. Hleb's performances for Arsenal during the 2007–08 season have caught the eye of many, including Spanish giants FC Barcelona, with the club admitting they would be interested in signing the player.[8] However, Hleb's agent Chris Mulcaster has since denied Hleb would be interested in a move to Barcelona.[9] A few weeks later Hleb himself also denied he would be interested in a move stating he is "very happy and proud to play for Arsenal" and has no intention of joining another club.[10] However, his season was cut short after he was banned for 3 games by the FA, after he was charged with violent conduct in an incident with Graeme Murty of Reading during their 2-0 win. Hleb admitted his offense, thus ending his season.

On 23 May 2008, The Sun claimed that Hleb's agent confirmed the midfielder would be leaving the Emirates in the summer after showdown talks with Arsene Wenger.[11] However on 28 May 2008 Hleb rubbished these reports as 'nonsense', as well as stating his 'love' for the club.

Barcelona

On 16 July 2008, a medical was held for the player at Barcelona, with his transfer completed later that day, for a fee of £11.8m. Hleb signed a four-year contract, with a buy-out clause of £71m.[12]

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 Belarusian captain, Sergei 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.[13] In August 2007, new national team manager, Bernd Stange, made him a team captain despite the criticism. On 22 August, Hleb wore the captain's arm band for the first time in a 2–1 win against Israel.

Miscellaneous

Hleb was called "Zauberlehrling" or "Wizard's Apprentice" for his silky skills and dazzling tricks in Germany. It was a name that he got when he played in the Bundesliga.[14]

Personal life

Hleb lives in Hampstead, north London.[15] In 2003 he was involved in a car crash in Minsk, a passenger in the other car later died.[16] His brother Vyacheslav Hleb is also a footballer who plays for Roda JC on loan from FC MTZ-RIPO, and the national team.

Hleb is married to Anastasia Kosenkova, an ex-singer of the Belarussian pop group 'Topless'. Their wedding took place the summer of 2008.[17]

Club career statistics

(correct as of 20 April 2008)[18]
Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
VfB Stuttgart 2000–01 6 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 9 0 0
2001–02 32 2 6 3 0 0 - - - 35 2 6
2002–03 31 4 7 2 1 0 8 3 3 41 8 10
2003–04 31 5 7 3 0 0 8 0 1 42 5 8
2004–05 34 2 14 3 2 0 8 0 3 45 4 17
Total 172 19 41
Arsenal 2005–06 25 3 0 5 0 - 10 0 - 40 3 -
2006–07 33 2 5 5 0 1 10 1 0 48 3 6
2007–08 31 2 6 3 0 0 8 3 2 42 5 8
Total 130 11 14
Barcelona 2008-09 5 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 9 0 10
Total 9 0 10

Honours

With FC BATE

With VfB Stuttgart

With Arsenal

Individual

References

  1. ↑ The confusion about the spelling arises from the Cyrillic character 'Г' in his Belarussian name 'Глеб', where in Russian is pronounced as 'G'. In player's native Belarusian, however, pronunciation of the same character is something in between latin 'H' than 'G', but closer to first and not 'Kleb' as it is often incorrectly pronounced on British television and radio commentary. See Romanization of Belarusian.
  2. ↑ "Aleks Hleb on Futbol Mundial". 
  3. ↑ "Aliaksandr Hleb profile on MasterCard UEFA Champions League", MasterCard. Retrieved on 2006-07-18. 
  4. ↑ "2000-01 player stats", Weltfussball.de. Retrieved on 2008-04-13. 
  5. ↑ "2004-05 Bundesliga table", Weltfussball.de. Retrieved on 2008-04-13. 
  6. ↑ "International Midfielder Agrees To Join Arsenal". Retrieved on 2007-08-27. 
  7. ↑ "Hamburg confirm Hleb meeting", Sky Sports. Retrieved on 2007-08-27. 
  8. ↑ "Barcelona make Alexander Hleb top target", Telegraph (2008-08-01). Retrieved on 2008-08-02. 
  9. ↑ "Hleb happy at Arsenal", Sky Sports News (2008-08-02). Retrieved on 2008-08-02. 
  10. ↑ "I have to address some rumours", Hleb's official website (2008-05-02). Retrieved on 2008-08-02. 
  11. ↑ "Hleb: I will quit Gunners", The Sun (2008-05-23). Retrieved on 2008-05-23. 
  12. ↑ "Hleb completes move to Barcelona", BBC Sport Hleb made his debut for Barcelona on Thursday 24th August 2008 coming off the bench in the 65th minute to replace Marc Crosas in a game against Hibernian which they eventually won 6-0. On Monday 4th August 2008 Hleb scored his first goal for FC Barcelona against Chivas after receiving a through ball from Iniesta he rounded the keeper and slotted the ball into the net making it 2-0 to Barcelona in a game they would eventually win 5-2. (2008-07-16). Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  13. ↑ "Ex-Belarus captain blasts Hleb", SkySports. Retrieved on 2006-11-01. 
  14. ↑ HLEB (Aliaksandr Pavlovich Hleb) - Arsenal and Belarus
  15. ↑ "Playboy from Minsk making capital gains", Guardian Unlimited (2006-03-26). Retrieved on 2006-07-18. 
  16. ↑ "Hleb death smash hell", The Sun Online. Retrieved on 2006-07-18. 
  17. ↑ Hleb's girl is a Topless stunner
  18. ↑ History, soccernet.espn.go.com, accessed 14 November 2007.

External links

FC Barcelona – current squad

1 V. Valdés • 2 Cáceres • 3 Piqué • 4 Márquez • 5 Puyol • 6 Xavi • 7 Gudjohnsen • 8 A. Iniesta • 9 Eto'o • 10 Messi • 11 Bojan • 13 Pinto • 14 Henry • 15 Keita • 16 Sylvinho • 18 Milito • 20 Alves • 21 Hleb • 22 Abidal • 24 Touré Yaya • 25 Jorquera • 27 Pedro • 28 Sergio B. • 29 V. Sánchez • Coach: Guardiola
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