Wenger Explains Why Alex Hleb's Career Nosedived After He Left Arsenal for Barcelona
Arsene Wenger has offered an explanation as to why Alex Hleb's career went downhill after he left Arsenal in 2008.
The unattached 36-year-old, who has had four separate stints with the Gunners' Europa League matchday two opponents BATE Borisov, represented the club for three seasons between 2005-08, before leaving to join Barcelona - a move that Wenger said he could understand.
The Belarusian star failed to excel at the Nou Camp in the way people had hoped, and found life tough competing with a young Lionel Messi amongst others.
On the eve of the Gunners' match with BATE, Wenger spoke a bit about the man he signed from Stuttgart. He said via the club's official website: "I would say at the time when he left for Barcelona, they were the best team in the world by a distance.
"You can understand that he was tempted to do it. It was not the right decision for him because he didn’t have the career after and I think it had a negative impact on his career.
"He was a great, great player but he played on the same side as Lionel Messi. That is nearly an impossible task for every player in the world.
"He’s coming to visit us. [I will ask him] is he happy and what is he doing? It’s not easy when you have such a long career to have as much an interesting life as when you play. I will ask him what he is doing."
Judging by Hleb's Instagram feed, Wenger's invitation was legitimate, and the pair posed together for a snap.