Former Arsenal midfielder Denilson has now opened up about one of his ex-teammates.
Denilson spent five seasons as part of the Arsenal first team squad between 2006 and 2011, working under Arsene Wenger at the Emirates Stadium.
Over the course of his time with the north London club, the Brazilian ace racked up 153 appearances and scored 11 goals, as he featured alongside the likes of Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas, and Samri Nasri. It was ultimately the emergence of Jack Wilshere which saw Denilson begin to fall down the pecking order at Arsenal.
The 35-year-old returned to his native Brazil after he left Arsenal, re-joining Sao Paulo, before enjoying stints with Al-Wahda, Cruzeiro, Botafogo, and Sliema Wanderers. Denilson left Arsenal to join Sao Paulo, initially on loan, in 2011 – the same summer that Mikel Arteta first came to the club, as a player.
Denilson played with some modern Arsenal greats in his time at the club, though he has now named one player from that era who he feels was underrated, in an interview which was conducted with Arsenal Insider in partnership with Futbol Mundo.
Denilson names most underrated player from his time at Arsenal
Asked to name his most underrated former Arsenal teammate, Denilson stated, “for me it’s [Alexander] Hleb, a guy who nobody payed much attention, but he helped the team a lot.”
Alexander Hleb was with Arsenal for just three seasons between 2005 and 2008. In that time, the Belarusian winger made 130 appearances for the Gunners, across all competitions, and racked up 10 goals.
Whilst he sometimes lacked in terms of end product as a goalscorer, there is no denying that Hleb was a creative force. Arsenal played a with a free-flowing, slick approach at that time under Wenger, pulling together neat, if sometimes overly complicated, combinations of passes in the opposition half as they sought to score eye-catching goals. Hleb was technically gifted enough to stand out even amongst his talented teammates.
However, the 42-year-old’s career went into swift decline after he left Arsenal to join Barcelona in the summer of 2008, in a deal worth £11.8 million. In his first season in Spain, he played 36 times, across all competitions, as Pep Guardiola’s side won a La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League treble.
Hleb, though, would never make another appearance for Barcelona after that campaign, as loan spells with Stuttgart, Birmingham City, and Wolfsburg carried him through to the end of his contract with the La Liga giants.
Hleb ended his career in 2019, after a journeyman period. In truth, his career never quite lived up to the promise he showed at Arsenal, where Denilson attests to his excellence. Hleb still keeps an eye on goings-on at Arsenal, though, and has had his say on the club’s recent transfer activity.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
