Alyaksandr Hleb
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alyaksandr Paulovich Hleb | ||
| Date of birth | 1 May 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Minsk, Belarus | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder / Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Birmingham City {on loan from Barcelona) |
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| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1987–1998 | Dinamo Minsk | ||
| 1998–1999 | BATE | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2000 | BATE | 10 | (4) |
| 2000–2005 | Stuttgart | 137 | (16) |
| 2005–2008 | Arsenal | 89 | (7) |
| 2008– | Barcelona | 19 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → Stuttgart (loan) | 25 | (0) |
| 2010– | → Birmingham City (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2001– | Belarus | 54 | (7) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 09:49, 1 September 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Alyaksandr Paulovich Hleb (Belarusian: Аляксандр Паўлавіч Глеб, pronounced [alʲaˈksandar ɣlʲeb]; Russian: Александр Павлович Глеб; born 1 May 1981), sometimes referred to in English as Alexander Hleb, is a Belarusian footballer who currently plays for Premier League club Birmingham City on loan from Spanish club FC Barcelona.
His natural and preferred position is attacking midfielder or 'in the hole' behind the strikers, but he is often deployed on the wing.
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Early life
Hleb grew up in Minsk. His mother was a builder, while his father drove petrol tankers. His father had volunteered to help knock down uninhabitable houses in Ukraine as the result of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Hleb believes this exposure to radiation caused his father's ill health. Before getting involved with football, Hleb was a keen swimmer and gymnast.[1] His younger brother Vyacheslav is also a footballer.
Club career
Hleb developed playing football on the concrete pitches of Dinamo Minsk school. At the age of 17, he signed for BATE Borisov, a Belarusian Premier League team from Borisov. The next season, they won the Championship.
Stuttgart
Spotted by scouts, Alyaksandr and his younger brother Vyacheslav were signed in 2000 by German Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart for approximately €150,000.[2] He made his Bundesliga debut on 5 September 2000 in an away match at Kaiserslautern, coming on as a substitute for the last 20 minutes.[3] 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 as 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.[4] Nevertheless, Hleb was on top of the assist chart in his last season in the Bundesliga.
Arsenal
In June 2005, Hleb joined English side Arsenal for a sum which may reach €15 million, on a four-year contract.[5] Arsène Wenger used Hleb at many different midfield positions, but he mainly played on the right wing for Arsenal. His competetive debut was made in August 2005, away to Chelsea. Soon after, Hleb sustained a knee injury while on international duty with Belarus and was out for several months, returning to the first team squad in December, and played 60 minutes in Arsenal's final UEFA Champions League group stage match against AFC Ajax on 7 December. By January 2006, Hleb had established himself as a first choice player and scored his first goal for Arsenal in a 7–0 win over Middlesbrough. In May Hleb became the first ever Belarusian footballer to play in the Champions League Final. He ended the season with 40 appearances and three goals.
Despite a hamstring injury, Hleb made 48 appearances in 2006–07 season, and scored three goals. In 2007–08 he was moved from the right wing and played behind Robin van Persie as a withdrawn striker. 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. His season was cut short after he was banned for three 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 offence, ending his season.
Barcelona
On 16 July 2008, a medical 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). Hleb signed a four-year contract, with a buy-out clause of €90 million.[6]
In March 2009, after featuring irregularly for the team — starting only five games in La Liga — he admitted that he would readily accept an offer from German Bundesliga team Bayern Munich, if such an opportunity arose in the summer. He said, "I am right in the best years of my career and I do not want to spend those years on bench. Bayern Munich is a special club, their interest in me is a delightful honour. Bayern is among the best teams in the world."[7]
Hleb went on to win the Treble with Barcelona in his first season with the club. Hleb featured briefly in the Copa del Rey final. The next week, Barcelona went on to beat Manchester United 2–0 in the UEFA Champion's League final; Hleb, however, did not feature.
On 2 July 2010, it was announced that Hleb would not be a part of coach Josep Guardiola's plans for the upcoming season and that Barcelona were seeking to offload him.
Return to Stuttgart on loan
In July 2009 Hleb returned to his former club VfB Stuttgart on a one-year loan.[8][9][10][11]. Hleb played 55 minutes in the first game of the 09–10 Bundesliga season, away to Wolfsburg, a match which Stuttgart lost 2–0. 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 FC Timişoara, in a 2–0 away win for the German side.
Birmingham City loan
On 31 August 2010, Hleb returned to England by signing a season-long loan deal with Premier League club Birmingham City.[12]
International career
Hleb won over 30 caps for the Under-21 Belarus 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 armband 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 when he played in the Bundesliga.[14]
Personal life
While playing for Arsenal, Hleb lived 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 is also a footballer who plays for Chinese team Shenzhen Ruby, as well as the national team.
Hleb is married to Anastasia Kosenkova, an ex-singer of the Belarusian pop group 'Topless'. Their wedding took place the summer of 2008.[17]
Career statistics
- (correct as of 17 April 2010)[18]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| 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 | 134 | 13 | 34 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 172 | 19 | 41 | |
| Arsenal | 2005–06 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 3 | 3 |
| 2006–07 | 33 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2007–08 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 5 | 3 | |
| Total | 89 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 4 | 5 | 130 | 11 | 12 | |
| Barcelona | 2008– | 19 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 3 |
| Stuttgart (loan) | 2009–10 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 4 |
| Birmingham City (loan) | 2010–11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 267 | 20 | 55 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 61 | 8 | 12 | 372 | 31 | 68 | |
Honours
- Belarusian Premier League: 1999
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2002
Individual
- Belarusian Footballer of the Year: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
- First ever Belarusian player to play in a UEFA Champions League final (2006) and to win it (2009)
References
- ↑ "Aleks Hleb on Futbol Mundial". http://arsenalist.tistory.com/archive/20070711.
- ↑ "Aliaksandr Hleb profile on MasterCard UEFA Champions League". MasterCard. http://www.mastercard.com/football/ucl/players/player_detail41331.html. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
- ↑ "2000-01 player stats". Weltfussball.de. http://www.weltfussball.de/spieler_profil.php?id=315&modus=3&saison_id=38&team=215. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
- ↑ "2004-05 Bundesliga table". Weltfussball.de. http://www.weltfussball.de/spielplan.php?Thema=3&Liga=1&s_id=1403&p_id=4335&r_id=34&zeige=tabelle. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
- ↑ "International Midfielder Agrees To Join Arsenal". http://www.plusmarketsgroup.com/story.shtml?ISIN=GB0030895238&NewsID=21322. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- ↑ "Hleb signs four-year deal". FCBarcelona.cat. 2008-07-16. http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/noticies/futbol/temporada08-09/07/n080716104950.html. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
- ↑ "Hleb honoured by Bayern link". Sky Sports. 2009-03-05. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12874_5008890,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
- ↑ Hleb vor Wechsel zum VfB Stuttgart
- ↑ "Aleks Hleb on loan to Stuttgart". FCBarcelona.cat. http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/catala/noticies/futbol/temporada09-10/07/n090729107794.html.
- ↑ "Hleb returns to VfB". vfb.de. 30 July 2009. http://vfb.de/en/aktuell/news/2009/32346.php. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
- ↑ Pearce, Nick (30 July 2009). "Alexander Hleb joins Stuttgart on season-long loan from Barcelona". Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/european/5939783/Alexander-Hleb-joins-Stuttgart-on-season-long-loan-from-Barcelona.html. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
- ↑ "Blues Land Hleb". Birmingham City F.C. 31 August 2010. http://www.bcfc.com/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10412~2140046,00.html. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
- ↑ "Ex-Belarus captain blasts Hleb". SkySports. http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=425972&plid=5246&clid=512&cpid=219. Retrieved 2006-11-01.
- ↑ HLEB (Aliaksandr Pavlovich Hleb) - Arsenal and Belarus
- ↑ Kessel, Anna (2006-03-26). "Playboy from Minsk making capital gains". London: Guardian Unlimited. http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1739765,00.html?gusrc=rss. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
- ↑ "Hleb death smash hell". The Sun Online. http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2005290622,00.html. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
- ↑ Hleb's girl is a Topless stunner
- ↑ History, soccernet.espn.go.com, accessed 14 November 2007.
External links
- Official website
- Official Barcelona profile
- Aliaksandr Hleb career stats at Soccerbase
- Profile at vfb-stuttgart.de
- Career stats at Fussballdaten.de (German)
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