Alexander Hleb facts for kids
Hleb with Konyaspor in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aliaksandr Paulavich Hleb | ||
| Date of birth | 1 May 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Dinamo-Juni Minsk | ||
| 1998–1999 | BATE Borisov | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998 | Dinamo-Juni Minsk | 11 | (1) |
| 1999–2000 | BATE Borisov | 25 | (4) |
| 2000–2001 | VfB Stuttgart II | 17 | (4) |
| 2000–2005 | VfB Stuttgart | 137 | (13) |
| 2005–2008 | Arsenal | 89 | (7) |
| 2008–2012 | Barcelona | 19 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → VfB Stuttgart (loan) | 27 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 19 | (1) |
| 2011 | → VfL Wolfsburg (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2012 | Krylia Sovetov Samara | 8 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | BATE Borisov | 29 | (3) |
| 2014 | Konyaspor | 30 | (2) |
| 2015 | Gençlerbirliği | 15 | (2) |
| 2015 | BATE Borisov | 4 | (0) |
| 2016 | Gençlerbirliği | 12 | (0) |
| 2016 | BATE Borisov | 6 | (0) |
| 2017 | Krylia Sovetov Samara | 7 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | BATE Borisov | 16 | (0) |
| 2019 | Isloch Minsk Raion | 13 | (0) |
| Total | 488 | (38) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000–2004 | Belarus U21 | 24 | (5) |
| 2001–2019 | Belarus | 80 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Aliaksandr Paulavich Hleb (born on May 1, 1981), known as Alexander Hleb, is a former professional footballer from Belarus.
Hleb usually played as an attacking midfielder, right behind the main strikers. He could also play on the wing. He was well-known for his excellent passing, quick movements, and amazing dribbling skills. He played for the Belarus national team from 2001 to 2019, earning 80 appearances.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Alexander Hleb grew up in Minsk, a city in Belarus. His mother worked in construction, and his father drove fuel trucks. His father had helped clean up houses in Ukraine after the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Alexander believes this might have affected his father's health. Before he started playing football, Hleb enjoyed swimming and gymnastics. His younger brother, Vyacheslav, also became a professional footballer.
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Germany: VfB Stuttgart
In 2000, Alexander and his brother Vyacheslav were noticed by scouts and joined the German team VfB Stuttgart. Alexander made his first game in the Bundesliga on September 5, 2000. Even though he only played a few games in his first year, he quickly became a key player for Stuttgart. In 2002, he was named the Belarusian Footballer of the Year.
During the 2002–03 season, Stuttgart finished second in the Bundesliga. They also had a big win against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League. Hleb was a very important player, helping to create goals for his team.
Moving to England: Arsenal
In June 2005, Hleb moved to the English club Arsenal. He signed a four-year contract. The manager, Arsène Wenger, used Hleb in different midfield roles, but he often played on the right side of the field. He played his first game for Arsenal in August 2005 against Chelsea.
Soon after joining, Hleb got a knee injury while playing for Belarus, which kept him out for a few months. He returned in December 2005. In January 2006, Hleb became a regular starter and scored his first goal for Arsenal in a big 7–0 win against Middlesbrough. In May, he made history as the first Belarusian player to play in the Champions League final. He finished that season with 40 games played and three goals.
In the 2006–07 season, Hleb played 48 games and scored three goals, even with a hamstring injury. For the 2007–08 season, he often played closer to the strikers. His season ended early when he was banned for three games after an incident with a Reading player.
Playing for Barcelona
On July 16, 2008, Hleb joined Barcelona in Spain. He signed a four-year contract. Even though he didn't play regularly, starting only five games in La Liga, he was part of the Barcelona team that won the treble in his first season. This means they won three major trophies: La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. Hleb played a small part in the Copa del Rey final but did not play in the Champions League final where Barcelona beat Manchester United.
After this successful season, Hleb decided to go back to his former club, VfB Stuttgart, on loan for the 2009–10 season. He also had loan spells at Birmingham City in England in 2010–11 and VfL Wolfsburg in Germany in 2011–12. While at Birmingham City, he helped them win the League Cup, but he missed the final due to injury.
Later Club Career
After his contract with Barcelona ended in January 2012, Hleb joined the Russian club Krylia Sovetov Samara.
On July 26, 2012, Hleb returned to his home country and signed with BATE Borisov. He helped them win the 2012 Belarusian Premier League title. He continued to play for BATE in the 2013 season.
In 2014, Hleb moved to Turkey to play for Konyaspor in the Süper Lig. In February 2015, he joined another Turkish club, Gençlerbirliği. He then had more periods playing for BATE Borisov, Krylia Sovetov Samara, and Isloch Minsk Raion before ending his club career.
International Career for Belarus
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Alexander Hleb played 24 games for the Belarus under-21 team. He made his first game for the senior national team in 2001 against Wales. He scored his first international goal in April 2002 in a 5–2 win against Hungary. He also scored in the final of the 2002 LG Cup in Russia, which Belarus won.
In August 2007, the new national team manager, Bernd Stange, made Hleb the team captain. Hleb wore the captain's armband for the first time in a 2–1 victory against Israel. He was part of the team that won the friendly Malta International Football Tournament in 2008. Overall, he played 80 games for Belarus and scored six goals.
Nickname
When Hleb played in Germany, he was sometimes called "Zauberlehrling" which means "Sorcerer's Apprentice." This nickname was given to him because of his smooth skills and amazing tricks with the ball.
Personal Life
In 2003, Hleb was involved in a car accident in Minsk. Sadly, a passenger in the other car passed away later in the hospital. Hleb was found not responsible for the accident.
While playing for Arsenal, Hleb lived in Hampstead, North London. In an interview in 2009, Hleb said that leaving Arsenal to join Barcelona was the biggest regret of his life.
Hleb was married to Anastasia Kosenkova from 2008 to 2014. In 2016, he married Sviatlana. Their daughter was born in December of that year. Sviatlana's daughter from a previous marriage also lives with them.
Honours and Awards
Alexander Hleb won many trophies and awards throughout his career:
BATE Borisov
- Belarusian Premier League: 1999, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018
VfB Stuttgart
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2002
Arsenal
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2006–07
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2005–06
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2008–09
- Copa del Rey: 2008–09
- UEFA Champions League: 2008–09
Birmingham City
- Football League Cup: 2010–11
Individual Awards
- Belarusian Footballer of the Year: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
- Arsenal Player of the Month: August 2005
- kicker Team of the Year: 2004–05
- ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 2006
See also
In Spanish: Aliaksandr Hleb para niños
