Legendary Belarusian football player Alexander Gleb. Biographies of football players Return to Genclerbirligi

Alexander Gleb is a Belarusian football player who currently plays for the Russian Krylya Sovetov. He will be 36 years old this year, so he is definitely in the twilight of his career. Alexander Gleb plays as a playmaker, but if necessary, he can also move to both flanks of the attack.

Carier start

Alexander Gleb was born on May 1, 1981 in the capital of Belarus, Minsk. It was there that he began playing football from an early age - at the age of six he ended up at the football academy of Dynamo Minsk. There he spent his entire childhood, as well as his teenage years, playing for youth teams of various age categories, until in 1999, when he turned 18, he faced a choice of his future. As a result, Alexander Gleb signed a professional contract not with Dynamo, but with BATE Borisov. In his first season, he entered the field 13 times and scored his first professional goal, and also celebrated victory in the first tournament, because his club won the Belarusian Championship. He began his second season at BATE as a first-team player and managed to play 12 matches and score three more goals in the first half of the year, when clubs from abroad paid attention to him. The talented young Belarusian received lucrative offers, and in the summer of 2000 he signed a contract with Stuttgart, which paid 150 thousand euros for him.

Moving to Germany

Alexander Gleb is a football player who turned out to be the most influential in his period, and it all started, naturally, in Stuttgart. Alexander needed his first season at the club to adapt to an unfamiliar environment. He appeared on the field only nine times, but even then it became clear that he was a player with huge potential. And already in 2001, this potential began to unfold - over the next four years, Gleb was not just a first-team player, but one of Stuttgart’s key players. Over four years, he appeared on the field 166 times, scoring 19 goals. He was the conductor of the Swabian attacks and, naturally, became a real star. Therefore, it was obvious that he would not spend his entire career at Stuttgart: already in the summer of 2005, the German club received an offer that it could not refuse. The English Arsenal paid 15 million euros for the Belarusian.

Transfer to Arsenal

Alexander Gleb, whose biography includes both ups and downs, was on the rise at that time. At Arsenal, he quickly won a place in the starting lineup and in his first season played 39 matches, in which he scored three goals. In total, he spent three years at the London club - during this time he appeared on the field 129 times, scoring ten goals. By the age of 27, he had reached the peak of his career, and this bore fruit - in the summer of 2008, one of the strongest clubs in the world, Barcelona, approached Arsenal. Naturally, Alexander Gleb, whose statistics in the current and previous clubs were impressive, could not refuse. He didn't know then that he was making the biggest mistake of his career.

Barcelona: the beginning of the end

Gleb moved to Barcelona, where a new coach, Pep Guardiola, had just been appointed. During the first season, Alexander periodically appeared on the field, making a total of 36 matches, but did not bring much benefit to the club - he simply could not adapt so quickly, and Guardiola demanded results here and now. As a result, Gleb was sent on loan to Stuttgart, then to Birmingham, and then to Wolfsburg - but all this did not bring him closer to the core of the Catalan club. When he returned from Wolfsburg, his contract was coming to an end - and the club management did not consider it necessary to renew it. Thus ended the glorious era of one of the best Belarusian football players in history.

After Barcelona

30-year-old Gleb was no longer the star that all European clubs expected. He signed a contract with Krylia Sovetov, where he spent a season before returning to his home club BATE. There he played for another year and a half, and then moved to Turkey, where he spent a year at Konyaspor. Then he signed a contract with Genclerbirligi and for two years periodically played for the Turkish club and for BATE. And in the winter of 2017, when his next contract with BATE expired, he moved to Krylya Sovetov, with whom he entered into an agreement for six months.

Performances for the national team

Gleb was first called up to the Belarus national team in October 2010, but played his first match only a year later. In total, during his career he played 78 matches for the national team, scoring 7 goals and providing 12 assists. Despite his age, he is still a member of the national team: he played his last match in November 2016.

Started playing football at the age of 6 years. In addition to this sport, he tried himself in athletics and diving, but did not achieve serious results in these sports. His father, Pavel Grigorievich, supported his son’s endeavors in football and helped him; It was on the instructions of his father that Gleb began playing football at the Dynamo Minsk school. At the age of 17, he signed a contract with BATE Borisov, and the following year the team won the Belarusian championship.

Having attracted the attention of scouts, Alexander and his younger brother Vyacheslav went to Germany in 2000 to play for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. Their contracts were bought by Stuttgart for 150,000 euros. Alexander made his debut in the Bundesliga on September 5, 2000 in an away match against Kaiserslautern, coming on as a substitute 20 minutes before the end of the match. In his first season for Stuttgart, Gleb appeared on the field in only 6 matches, and already in the next season he became one of the team’s key players.

In the 2002/03 season, Stuttgart took second place in the Bundesliga and qualified for the Champions League, where they defeated Manchester United, and Gleb became the team's playmaker. However, Stuttgart head coach Felix Magath then left the club to take over Bayern in the summer of 2004, and Stuttgart only finished fifth the following season. Gleb became the best assistant in the Bundesliga season 2004/05.

On July 28, 2005, Gleb moved to Arsenal in London, the transfer amount was about 15 million euros (under certain conditions: number of games, etc.). The contract was for 4 years. On August 21, Gleb played his first official match for Arsenal away against Chelsea. Soon after, he was injured in a game for the Belarus national team and was out for several months, losing his place in the Arsenal team, which led to rumors about his desire to return to Germany. However, he returned to the first team on December 7, playing 60 minutes in the Champions League match against Ajax Amsterdam. By January 2006, he had established himself in the first team and scored his first goal for Arsenal against Middlesbrough. On May 17, Gleb became the first Belarusian football player to play in the Champions League final. In total, in his first season for Arsenal, he appeared on the field in 40 matches, scoring 3 goals.

The next season at Arsenal started well for him: in his first official match of the season, he made 2 assists (Arsenal's victory over Dinamo Zagreb with a score of 3:0 in the qualifying round of the Champions League). Constantly appearing on the field at the base, Gleb became an important part of Arsene Wenger's team. In the 2006/07 season, Gleb played 48 matches for Arsenal (40 of them were in the starting lineup), scoring 3 goals.

In the 2007/08 season, due to a series of injuries in the team, Gleb’s versatility was fully revealed, playing on both flanks of midfield, in central midfield and in the forward position. He showed good performances in the Champions League matches, where he played as an attacking midfielder with a lot of freedom. On July 17, 2008, Gleb moved to Barcelona for £11.8 million.

Things didn't work out for him at Barcelona. He suffered an injury early in the season which forced him to miss more than a month. After that, he was unable to prove to head coach Guardiola that he was worthy of being in the starting lineup. Alexander mostly replaced players who needed rest. By March, he had only started 5 times in the Spanish Championship. Because of this, rumors appeared about a possible move to Bayern. Alexander expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the coach prefers other players. According to Gleb, of his direct competitors, only Messi surpassed him in terms of level of play.

In July 2009, Gleb was supposed to be part of the deal to exchange Ibrahimovic for Eto'o, but Alexander refused to go on loan to Internazionale. On July 30, it became known that Gleb went on a one-year loan to Stuttgart, for whom he had previously played. At the same time, Alexander admitted that he regrets leaving Arsenal, but nothing can be done about it. He spent the 2009/2010 season in Stuttgart. In the Bundesliga, without scoring a single goal and only hitting the target twice, Gleb returns to Barcelona.

On January 31, 2012, he terminated his contract with Barcelona (valid until June 30, 2012) early by mutual consent.

On February 17, 2012, he officially transferred to Krylia Sovetov Samara.

Achievements

Team

Champion of Belarus: 1999

Intertoto Cup winner: 2002
Silver medalist of the German Championship: 2002/03

League Cup finalist: 2006/07
3rd place in the English Championship: 2007/08
UEFA Champions League finalist: 2005/06

Copa del Rey winner: 2008/09
Champion of Spain: 2008/09
UEFA Champions League winner: 2008/09

League Cup winner: 2010/11

Personal

Best Footballer of Belarus (6): 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
The first Belarusian footballer to play in the final match of the UEFA Champions League (in 2006 with Arsenal)
The first Belarusian footballer to win the UEFA Champions League (in 2009 with Barcelona)

Personal life

He is married to Anastasia Kosenkova, a former singer of the Belarusian pop group Topless.

The midfielder of Barcelona, which is preparing to become the “champion of everything,” gives an interview to the Belarusian newspaper Pressball. “I see myself in Barcelona. I talked to the head coach Josep Guardiola, club president Joan Laporta. The management supports me, and I’m sure everything will be fine. You just need to get into optimal shape. I believe in myself and know that I can play successfully for Barcelona. It’s a matter of principle to prove it to yourself and others,” these are the words of the Belarusian midfielder. By that time, Alexander had managed to spend half a season in Catalonia, kiss the Barcelona club emblem, confess his love for the club, settle in the city - but just not prove himself on the football field. Then the pairing of Xavi and Iniesta played the lead in the center of the field, while Gleb only appeared in the starting lineup of the Catalans five times, mainly giving his teammates a break.

All that he will celebrate in the rest of the season is five more appearances on the field in a blue garnet shirt in all tournaments, the absence of goals scored... and three trophies, to which Gleb had little to do. And at the end of the season, after the Champions League final, which Josep Guardiola will not place a Belarusian, Alexander will burst into an angry tirade against his coach - they say, he did not understand that! Of course, after this Gleb had no future in Barcelona: loan, Russia, further down the list...

But how quickly the career of the Belarusian midfielder began...

Gleb ended up in the German Stuttgart together with his brother Vyacheslav at the age of 19, having won the Belarusian championship under his belt. And if Vyacheslav eventually limited himself to a dozen matches for Hamburg and went to seek his fortune around the world right up to the Chinese Championship, then Alexander became one of the Swabians in the shortest possible time. Already in the 2001/02 season, Gleb was one of the key players of Stuttgart, a year later he scored in the Champions League against Ferguson’s Manchester and established himself as a leading playmaker. In Stuttgart, Gleb crossed paths with the current Dynamo player Kevin Kuranyi and became for him an exemplary carrier of shells - both still remember their interaction with warmth.

The 2004/05 season was a breakthrough for Gleb - 14 assists during the season helped the Belarusian become the best assister in the Bundesliga. Now Alexander could not help but make a leap upward, especially since Felix Magath, who molded Gleb into a top player, has already been in charge of Bayern for a year. The option with Munich did not work out, but Arsenal arrived in time and personally Arsene Wenger. The club and the coach wanted to see Gleb at their place, and the Belarusian did not think for long.

Almost immediately after moving to Highbury, Gleb broke down, but after recovery he began to play regularly and bring invaluable benefits to Arsenal. Alexander reached the Champions League final with the Gunners and integrated well into Arsenal’s team play. The local attackers couldn’t get enough of him - Thierry Henry, Robin Van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor. But the further it went, the more Gleb began to talk. And do less. Still, he appeared at Arsenal not only to design the team’s attacks, but also to win titles for the Gunners. But this didn’t work out for Alexander. Having completely fallen out with Arsene Wenger, Gleb firmly decided to go for a promotion.

Gleb arrived in Catalonia almost without hesitation and immediately declared his love for Barcelona. But it’s unlikely that the football player knew that the Barça coach Josep Guardiola I’m not too interested in the Belarusian. The president of the blue garnets was much more interested in Gleb’s services Joan Laporta. And everything would have been fine, but only in one of the first matches Alexander broke down and was out of action for a month. And having returned to duty, he could no longer squeeze into the lineup - Xavi and Iniesta cemented their places in the starting line. Realizing the futility of his attempts and not even being included in the lineup for the Champions League final in Rome, Gleb again began to talk and talk, expressing dissatisfaction with the current situation.

Everything that happened after Barcelona can be described in one word: “terrible”. Having failed in the blue garnet camp, Gleb went into all sorts of troubles. He tried to revive his career by returning to Stuttgart, but frankly failed. In 27 matches, the attacking midfielder not only did not score a single goal, but also scored a measly two times against the other goal! The Swabian coaching staff did not need Gleb. Alexander's next stop was Birmingham, with whom the midfielder was relegated from the Premier League, having played only half of the matches for the Blues. Even the return in August 2011 to Felix Magath could not bring Gleb to his senses. He played only four matches for Wolfsburg, after which the car manufacturers hastened to get rid of the player. For Barcelona, he finally became a burden - it is not surprising that the Catalans rushed to let the footballer go free.

Top-level teams stopped being interested in Gleb in three years; all that was left was to hang around in search of a better life. In the winter of 2012, Alexander found a job in Samara, trying to gain a foothold in Krylia Sovetov. The green-white-blue bosses for once said that they were happy with Alexander and wanted him to continue playing. But Gleb himself wanted to continue the adventure saga. Next was a return to BATE, about which the midfielder said that “he would never play for him.” And after a year and a half in Borisov - departure to Turkey. Just as useless as previous career moves.

...November 2014. , midfielder of the Turkish Konyaspor, from where he will be kicked out with shouts and accusations in a month and a half, gives an interview to the same “Pressball”. “Parting with Arsenal is a serious mistake. I left the club where I was valued, loved, respected. But the decision was made. And, to be honest, I myself don’t understand and can’t answer the question: why did you move to Barcelona? Of course, it’s hard to refuse the Catalans when they are interested in you and call you... I didn’t even think about going to Barcelona then. I thought if I changed clubs, it would be to Bayern,” Gleb regrets his move years later.

Moreover, a few days after the next interview, Gleb again became a victim of his long tongue. Having a fight with the Konyaspor coach Aykut Kocaman, who blamed Alexander for his poor play (only two assists in 14 matches), Gleb achieved another punishment, ceasing to be included in the Turkish middle team’s lineup. Not long ago, the 33-year-old football player terminated his contract with the team and. But maybe it’s time to stop suffering and calmly end your career?

With one wave of his pen in front of a piece of paper, Alexander not only signed a contract with Barca - he crossed out his entire career. The phrase of the hero of the series “Breaking Bad” Walter White - that you need to experience the delights of your choice yourself, without delaying the inevitable - is more than applicable to Gleb. He decided not to delay, but to push himself towards that choice. Can Alexander blame anyone for his broken career except himself?!

Alexander Pavlovich Gleb- Belarusian football player.

Biography

Born on May 1, 1981 in Minsk. He started playing football at the age of 6 at the Dynamo Minsk Sports School. His first coach was Vladimir Sinyakevich. Also, as a child, he was involved in athletics and diving.

BATE

At the age of 17, he signed a contract with the BATE club from the city of Borisov, with which he became the champion of Belarus in 1999. In July 2012, he returned to BATE again, concluding a contract first until the end of August, and then until the end of the year. He played as part of the club in the Champions League. In January 2013, he signed a one-year contract with BATE, and then announced that he would not renew it. During this season he was included in the list of the 22 best football players of the Belarusian championship according to the BFF. In August 2015 he returned to BATE.

Career

In 2000, together with his brother Vyacheslav, he went to Germany to play for FC Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. In September 2000, Alexander played his first league match in a game against Kaiserslautern. He came on as a substitute with 20 minutes remaining in the match. In his first season for FC he played 6 matches, and in 2001 he became a key player. In the 2002-2003 season, he became second in the Bundesliga with the team and qualified for the Champions League, where he won the game against Manchester United and became the team's playmaker. The following season, the team's coach left the team and went to Bayern, and the team took only 5th place in the league. Alexander became the best assistant in the Bundesliga in the 2004-2005 season. In July 2005 he began playing for London Arsenal. The contract was concluded for 4 years, and its amount was 15 million euros. In August 2005, Alexander played his first match for the team, replacing Cesc Fabregas in a match against Newcastle. Later he was injured in the Belarusian national team and left the team for several months, which led to his departure from the Arsenal main team. In December he returned to action and spent a full hour in a game against Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League. In January 2006, he finally joined the main team and scored his first goal for the club in a match against Middlesbrough. In the 2005-2006 season he played 40 matches and scored 3 goals. In the 2006-2007 season, in the first match against Dinamo Zagreb, he made 2 assists that led to goals, as a result, Arsenal defeated Dinamo with a score of 3:0. During the season he played 48 games, of which he was in the starting lineup in 40 and scored 3 goals. In the 2007-2008 season, he proved himself to be a versatile player, playing in the positions of midfielder, central defender and forward. In July 2008 he began playing for Barcelona. Immediately after the transition, he was injured and was out of action for a month. In his first season for Barcelona, he rarely appeared on the field, sometimes replacing the main players. In March 2009, it was only the fifth time that he appeared in the main team in a game in the Spanish Championship. As Alexander himself claimed, the coach did not like him, although only Messi was ahead of him in terms of his level of play. In July 2009, Gleb was supposed to be exchanged for Eto'o, but Gleb refused to move to International. In January 2012, he terminated his contract with Barcelona, which, with a successful combination of circumstances, was supposed to be valid until the end of June. In July 2009, he returned to Stuttgart for a year, without scoring a single goal during the season and hitting the target twice. He returned to Barcelona again after the season. In August 2010 he was loaned to Birmingham City. In August 2011, he was loaned to Wolfsburg. In February 2012, he began playing for Samara Krylya Sovetov. The first match was against Amkar, where Gleb played for the main team. In January 2014, he began playing for the Turkish Konyaspor, then in May he extended his contract for a year, but by the end of 2014 he terminated it due to the fact that he was no longer included in the squad for the championship and Turkish Cup matches. In February 2015, he began playing for the Turkish Genclerbirligi. In January 2016 he returned to Genclerbirligi.

Awards

As a member of the Belarusian national team, he became the national champion in 199, 2012, 2013 and 2015. In 2002 he received the Intertoto Cup, became the champion of Spain and the winner of the Spanish Cup in the 2008-2009 season, and in the same season won the UEFA Champions League. In 2011 he received the Football League Cup. In the individual championship he became the best football player in Belarus in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. He became the first Belarusian football player to play in the final match of the UEFA Champions League and win the UEFA Champions League. In August 2005 he became the best player of the month in Aresnal. In 2004, he won the BelSwissBank trophy named after Alexander Prokopenko in the nomination For football talent and dedication in playing for Belarus.