Continuing our alphabetical world tour, next up is Belarus. A former Soviet state, Belarus played their first official international fixture in October 1992, two months after the start of the first Premier League season.
Since then just two Belarussians have played in the Premier League, according to the Premier League website.
First Player – Alexander Hleb (Arsenal, Birmingham City; 2005-08, 2010-11)
A silky-smooth playmaker/winger whose impact did not reflect his ability, Alexander Hleb became the first Belarussian to play in the Premier League in 2005.
The Gunners reached the Champions League final in Hleb’s first season in north London, but largely stalled after that. Despite being a popular figure among the Arsenal faithful, Hleb was allowed to join Barcelona in 2008 for £11.8 million.
He failed to make an impact in what became Barcelona’s most successful ever period and was loaned out three times, including a season at Birmingham City in which they won the League Cup (beating Arsenal in the final, though Hleb missed the game through injury) and were relegated.
Records
- Most Appearances – Alexander Hleb (108)
- First appearance – Alexander Hleb (ARSENAL 2-0 Newcastle, August 14th 2005)
- Most goals – Alexander Hleb (8)
- First goal – Alexander Hleb (ARSENAL 7-0 Middlesbrough, January 14th 2006)
Other Players
Striker Sergei Kornilenko is the only other player to represent Belarus in the Premier League, making six appearances in a forgettable loan spell at Blackpool in the Tangerines only Premier League campaign to date.
No Belarussian players have featured in the Premier League since 2010/11, when both Hleb and Kornilenko returned from their loans in England, with both their clubs having been relegated (Birmingham City and Blackpool respectively).
Trivia
- Hleb (2nd, 80 caps) and Kornilenko (4th, 78 caps) are both among Belarus’ most capped players, while Kornilenko is their second highest goalscorer (17 goals).
- Alexander Hleb retired from international football in 2019, after an 18-year career and six Belarussian footballer of the year awards.
