Aliaksandr Hleb

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 either wing.

Biography

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.

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.

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.

In 2002-03 Stuttgart finished runners up in the Bundesliga and enjoyed a Champions League victory over Manchester United. Hleb became established as the team’s playmaker. However, after team manager Felix Magath left to join Bayern Munich, Stuttgart was not so successful under new coach Matthias Sammer.

Arsenal Career

On June 28, 2005 he joined English side Arsenal for a sum which may reach 10 million GBP (depending on performance). Hleb has agreed to a 4-year contract with Arsenal. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has used Hleb at many different midfield positions as he acclimatised to English Football. Ultimately he is seen as a replacement for Fredrik Ljungberg, Robert Pirès or Dennis Bergkamp.

Hleb is a strong dribbler and dead-ball specialist as well as being top of the “assist” chart in his last season of the Bundesliga. 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 full official match for Arsenal away to Chelsea. He received favourable reports from the media after this match, with a 'Best possible debut' tag and was one of the players who received best marks. 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.

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 on December 7.

By January 2006 Hleb had established himself as a first choice player. He played from the start in both legs of the round of 16 Champions League encounter with Real Madrid. He has established an excellent partnership with Arsenal's Ivorian right-back Emmanuel Eboué. He started the UEFA Champions League final against FC Barcelona.

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.

Personal

He lives in Hampstead, north London.^[2] In 2003 he was involved in a car crash in Minsk, a passenger in the other car later died.^[3] His brother Vyacheslav Hleb is also a footballer who plays for FC MTZ-RIPO and national team.

Arsenal Career stats

(Correct as of July 13, 2006)

Club	Season	League			Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Arsenal	2005–06	25	3	0	5	0	10	0	40	3
Total									40	3

Honours

Belarus League Championship 1998-99

Bundasliga Runner Up 2002-03

Champions League Runner Up 2006

Belarus Athlete of the Year 2002

1st ever Belarussian player to play in champions league final (2006)

References