Alexander Hleb and Arsene Wenger (Photo by Hamish Blair, Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Former Arsenal star Alexander Hleb has been remarkably open in recent years about how much he regrets his decision to leave the Gunners and join Barcelona in 2008.
The former Belarus international divided opinion for much of his time at Arsenal, having started slowly before really starting to show glimpses of his best form in his final season at the Emirates Stadium.
That prompted Barca to move for Hleb, and things went downhill from there, with the silky playmaker not getting much playing time in that famous Pep Guardiola side.
Even if Hleb looked like a good fit for the Barcelona style of play, there was simply too much competition from so many world class attacking midfield players there at the time, so it’s perhaps not too surprising that he spent a lot of time warming the bench.
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Still, it seems Hleb also had his doubts about leaving Arsenal before the move even went through, and one imagines that affected his confidence.
Speaking on a podcast back in 2020, Hleb revealed that he cried during meetings with Arsene Wenger, who tried to talk him into staying at Arsenal, whilst adding that he was perfectly happy in north London and doesn’t know why he left.
Alex Hleb: I don’t understand why I left Arsenal
“Many years later and I still think about it,” Hleb said. “I don’t understand. To this day I still don’t understand what happened or why I made the decision.
Alex Hleb on the Barcelona bench (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
“Of course, Barcelona in that moment was the best team in the world but I was really happy at Arsenal at the time. I had friends, I enjoyed the coach, I was playing for one of the best teams, the fans, the stadium, everything! The fantastic championship, the Premier League, everything!
“Why I left, I don’t understand. Barca, of…
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