Arsenal: Former Gunner Alexander Hleb Finds a Home in Russia

He's fallen quite a ways since the 2007-08 season, when he was often excellent on the wing for Arsenal.

But slowly, surely, Alexander Hleb has attempted to pull himself back up into the footballing legitimacy.

That '07-08 campaign had seen Hleb emerge as one of the Gunners' most dynamic attackers.

Often operating on the wings—he had a remarkable ability to cut inside from the right wing and contribute to the attack—Hleb had that wonderful habit of emerging in the biggest games.

His stats, nowhere near as good as Robert Pires's heyday years with Arsenal (many had tipped Hleb to replace the Invincible), never told the story of his true worth within the side.

In three seasons with Arsenal (he'd joined from Stuttgart before the 2005-06 season), Hleb had gone from unproven, wiry talent to durable, reliable option in midfield.

He looked to be a solid option for the future.

It was to many fans' chagrin, then, that just as he appeared to be entering into his best years of footballing ability, he jumped ship for FC Barcelona.

That siren call has wooed many a Gunner in the past, and it hooked Hleb 'round the navel.

In the summer of 2008 he was gone, for a cool €15 million that could have risen to €17 million based on club achievements during his time at the Nou Camp. (Granted, there were many of those. Hleb just didn't play the biggest of roles in attaining the glory.)

His time with the Blaugrana can hardly be termed as fulfilling. Games which had once come thick and fast while at Arsenal grew suddenly sparse.

A man who'd appeared on the verge of stardom made a crash back down to earth that would have made Icarus wince.

Hleb found himself on the fringes of a Barcelona side that was on its way to becoming the dominant force in world football. (They would win the 2009 Champions League title and go on to win a record six trophies that calendar year.)

The Belorussian dervish did not feature in that final,a 2-0 victory against Manchester United.

In fact, he didn't even make the substitute's bench, with manager Pep Guardiola picking youngsters Bojan Krkic and Pedro and the proven Eidur Gudjohnsen ahead of him as attacking options.

It surprised no one, then, that Hleb soon was heading out on season-long loan deals, pinballing around Europe, never finding a home in which to settle.

In 2009-10, it was a move to former club Stuttgart, the next season, Birmingham City.

In 2011-12, Hleb headed for Wolfsburg, where injuries kept him from any consistent action. He featured just four times for the Bundesliga side.

It was those injuries that kept Wolfsburg from extending Hleb's loan deal into the new year, and with his Barcelona contract up on Dec. 31, he soon found himself out of football entirely. Barca were certainly never going to renew that deal.

The Stuttgart loan was easily Hleb's best season in recent memory.

He appeared 27 times in all competitions, even earning starting spots during Stuttgart's Round of 16 games in the Champions League against, of all sides, Barcelona. (Stuttgart would lose 5-1 on aggregate.)

Out of luck, and out of contract, Hleb spent a month-and-a-half without a team.

There were offers, but interest seemed tepid at best.

Now 30, Hleb's best years are certainly behind him. Many people's enduring image—the one freshest in mind—is the waif who showed up at Birmingham in 2010—a mere shell of his former self, who appeared to plead for clemency in regards to his decision to leave Arsenal.

It almost seemed as if he wished he could travel back in time to 2008, before the move, before the hardship.

"[Since] I left [Arsenal] nothing happened and this may be a point to take me back," Hleb told ESPN. "Birmingham cannot play like Arsenal or Manchester, our game is to kick the ball up front and fight."

That didn't deter Russian side Krylia Sovetov Samara from taking a flier on his services. Signed in mid-February, Hleb didn't make his first appearance for his new side until March 24, as he recovered from injury.

He's since made three appearances for his new employers, starting their last match—a 2-1 victory against Amkar Perm.

His contract with the Russian Premiership side expires at the end of the season, casting further doubt where his future is concerned. 

The man who's lent new meaning to peripatetic lifestyle sure could use a break.

And if he keeps earning starting spots in manager Andrey Kobelev's side, he may just fight his way back into relevancy and the new contract that comes along with it.

I wish him all the best.