Hleb: It was a mistake to sign for Barcelona, I lost my best years

Speaking in an interview with the Telegraph, Alexsandr Hleb revealed that he believes it was a mistake to join Barcelona  and that he missed out on his best years as a footballer.

The Belorussian arrived at the Camp Nou  in 2008 after three seasons at Arsenal.

"Looking back now, it was a mistake signing for Barcelona," he said.

"I lost my best years. I made some errors and I was never able to show my best."

Hleb, who now plays for BATE Borisov, also reflected on his relationship with then-teammate Thierry Henry and coach Pep Guardiola.

"He [Henry] offered me a spare room in his house," he explained.

"We watched Arsenal's games together.

"I wanted to play and I was annoyed because Guardiola wouldn't put me on.

"Later, I realised that it was my fault."