Hleb: 'I was devastated leaving ARS, breaking down in tears'

A former Arsenal star has admitted that he soon regretted leaving the Gunners

Some Arsenal players will be hoping to leave the club in pursuit of regular football this month. But club icon Alexander Hleb previously explained how difficult it was to quit north Londo when he openly regretted his decision to leave for Barcelona in 2008. The winger was only with the Gunners for three years but his time working under Arsene Wenger left a lasting impression on him.

Having been part of the Arsenal team that reached the 2006 Champions League final, Hleb established himself as a crucial player in the immediate post-Invincibles era. His performances at the Emirates Stadium led to interest from elsewhere, with the Belarus international becoming one of Pep Guardiola’s first signings at Barcelona.

Hleb joined what would soon be regarded as one of the best teams in football history as the Catalan giant clinched an unforgettable treble in Guardiola’s first year at the helm. However, it was not the dream move that many would have imagined, as the idea of leaving Arsenal had moved Hleb to tears.

“It’s still difficult for me to explain why I left Arsenal,” Hleb told Planet Football in 2023. “I was absolutely happy there. Arsene completely trusted me, it was idyllic. And then I decided to leave.

“I was on vacation and agents and managers convinced me that I had to go to Barcelona. To be honest, I didn’t really understand what I was doing. At some point, I realised, ‘Oh god! I’m leaving Arsenal!’

“When Arsene said that it was a matter of hours, I felt devastated. It was really hard for me to accept that. Wenger did everything to make me stay at Arsenal.

“He even texted me as I was fishing. ‘Alex, I won’t let you go, we need you here.’ I cried when I read it.”

Hleb made 36 appearances for Barcelona overall, including 19 starts, as Guardiola’s side asserted their dominance. While the Spanish club celebrated their success, the ex-Arsenal man was left to mull over being left out of the Champions League final squad in 2009, a decision that Hleb described as “a knife in my back”.

He said: “I never spoke to Guardiola after that. I could understand him because I didn’t behave well enough myself. But it was incredibly painful.”

He did not play for Barcelona again beyond his first season, spending subsequent years on loan at Stuttgart, Birmingham City and Wolfsburg. Hleb blamed himself for not adapting to his new life in Spain, but his love for Arsenal and Wenger never diminished.

“Wenger is like a father to me. It was really easy to work with him, you always felt his support,” he explained.

Hleb made 130 appearances for the Gunners but seemed to wish he had spent longer playing under Wenger. He recalled the Arsenal boss turning down his suggestion of a loan move as the midfielder recovered from an injury during his first year at the club.

“He was like, ‘Stop it! I believe in you! Don’t even think about things like that,’” Hleb said. “Honestly? I just flew out of the room. It really felt like I had wings.

“Arsene truly feels his players. He says exactly what a player needs to hear. I think there are very few guys who might say that they haven’t enjoyed working with him. Everyone felt like they would get a chance. And I think most players who left ultimately regretted it.”