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Andrey Arshavin was regarded as one of the most exciting talents in European football when he joined Arsenal from Zenit St Petersburg in 2009, so what went wrong? Nick Wright reflects on a career of fleeting brilliance and wasted talent… Andrey Arshavin may not have left much of a legacy at Arsenal, but his winning goal against Barcelona in 2011 still ranks as one of their greatest moments at the Emirates Stadium.The Russians sweeping finish sealed a 2-1 first-leg victory over the imperious Catalans and, while it ultimately wasnt enough to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, its fair to say the Gunners would cherish a repeat result on Tuesday. Five years on from that memorable night in north London, the landscape looks very different for Arshavin. The mercurial forward reached the end of the road at Arsenal in 2013, and at the start of February a brief spell at Russian side Kuban Krasnodar concluded with the termination of his contract. If there is an offer to continue playing, I will definitely take a look at it, said Arshavin. If not, I will end my career. He is 34. Arshavin wheels away in celebration after scoring against Barcelona in 2011 Arshavins sad decline was already in motion when he scored that goal against Barcelona, but he appeared to have the world at his feet just a few years earlier. His scintillating performances for Russia at Euro 2008 drew international acclaim, and he looked like a superstar in the making when he made his £15m move to Arsenal six months later.The club-record outlay represented a major departure from Arsene Wengers usual transfer policy, but Arsenal were in dire need of inspiration as they sought to make up a five-point gap on the top four, and here was an elite talent capable of making the difference. In Russia, Zenit St Petersburg rued the loss of their talisman, with manager Dick Advocaat describing it as the bargain signing of the January window.Arshavin was at the peak of his powers and his arrival initially had the desired effect, with six goals and seven assists in 12 Premier League games helping Arsenal finish the 2008/09 campaign in the Champions League spots. Supporters were smitten with the impish little Russian, and his explosive four-goal performance against Liverpool at Anfield wrote him into Premier League folklore. Arshavin scored four goals in Arsenals 4-4 draw with Liverpool For all his talent, however, there was another side to Arshavin that grew more and more prominent. In Russia he was considered as a lazy player even at his best times, Russian football journalist Artur Petrosyan tells Sky Sports. He never really liked to run much. He would be off for 60 or 70 minutes of a game, but then turn on and do something amazing.Arshavin featured regularly for Arsenal over the next two seasons, scoring 22 goals in 91 appearances in all competitions, but the moments of brilliance became increasingly infrequent. Match fitness and work rate were persistent issues, while lethargic performances and an indifferent attitude suggested his heart simply wasnt in it. Arshavin made just two starts in his final season with Arsenal He was never the most ambitious person, says Petrosyan. Actually thats a problem with a lot of Russian players. Its a problem with their mentality. When they achieve success and earn some good money, they just stop progressing and thats it for them. Thats what happened with Arshavin.There were controversies, too, most notably a run-in with a group of angry supporters after Russia exited Euro 2012 with a dismal group stage defeat by Greece. What should we apologise for? snapped Arshavin. Its not our problem that we didnt meet your expectations. Its your problem. Arsenal v Barcelona Follow Arsenal v Barcelona with our live blog across the Sky Sports platforms The comments caused outcry in Russia. His serious career ended after the Euros in 2012, says Petrosyan. Before that he was a real hero here and he was considered as probably the best Russian footballer in history, but after that it changed. He was never an easy person and there were always controversies around him, but he made up for it by playing good football. After that, though, everyone began pointing fingers at him. Arshavin captained Russia at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine Arshavin had spent the months leading up to Euro 2012 on loan at Zenit, and he returned to the Gazprom-owned club permanently in the summer of 2013. I dont regret anything, but I had to leave, he said after making just two starts in his final season at Arsenal. To train even though you know you wont play - it is psychologically difficult. I nearly suffered depression.Zenit, though, was not exactly a happy homecoming. It was the president of Gazproms idea to bring him back, says Petrosyan. Some fans liked it, but those who understand football and dont just cheer for big names could see what was going on. They knew that Arshavin couldnt help the team any more. He wasnt able to, even if he wanted.In footballing terms, after returning from Arsenal he was a just a squad player, not a regular. So he wasnt satisfied with that but he was still getting paid around 2.5m euros per year. He gained some weight and he just didnt have the desire to play anymore. Arshavin in action on his return to Zenit St Petersburg Arshavin was a peripheral figure as Zenit won the title under Andre Villas-Boas last season, and the former Chelsea and Tottenham manager confirmed his contract would not be renewed at the end of the campaign. Retirement loomed for Arshavin, but government-funded Russian Premier League rivals Kuban Krasnodar offered him a lucrative lifeline.It was a couple of months before elections in the Krasnodar region, and the governor thought it was obvious that he needed publicity and PR so he signed Arshavin and [Roman] Pavlyuchenko, says Petrosyan. But after the elections, the governor lost all interest in the club and the bad times started. Now theyre selling all their stars, theyve got money problems and they are probably going to be relegated. In the six months before the termination of his contract at Kuban, Arshavin made just eight league appearances totalling 357 minutes. None of them ended in victories, he only completed the 90 minutes once, and there were no goals or assists.There has been talk of interest from clubs in Kazakhstan and Macedonia for one final payday, but Arshavin appears to be preoccupied with business interests in St Petersburg. His footballing career is not the most important thing, says Petrosyan. If he cant play for another season, he wont be too sad.And so, as Arsenal prepare for another meeting with Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium, the hero of their last encounter nears an unceremonious end to his career. For a player who shone so brightly, Arshavins plight feels like an extraordinary waste.Artur Petrosyan is the former editor of Russian newspaper Sport Express and currently runs https://bookmaker-ratings.comWhat are your memories of Andrey Arshavin? Let us know using the message boards or by tweeting @SkyFootballAlso See:What next for Zlatan?Would Gundogan suit the Premier League?Arsenal the injury-time kingsWho are the fittest team?Samuel Morin Flyers Jersey . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. James Van Riemsdyk Flyers Jersey . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. 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ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers were unbeatable in May with Derek Holland on the mound. While Yu Darvish is still the Texas ace, Holland struck out eight and allowed only one earned run over seven innings to wrap up his undefeated month in a 7-2 victory over the weary Kansas City Royals on Friday night. "Hes certainly pitching well. He was outstanding again," manager Ron Washington said. "Once again, he stayed out of the fat part of the plate, and off the fat part of the bat for the most part. If Yu Darvish wasnt on the staff we have right now, I guess youd say Derek would probably be the ace." Holland (5-2) went 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA in six May starts, matching a career best for wins in any month. The Rangers, who have the best record in the American League, won all six of those games started by the left-hander. After Holland gave up a run in the top of the third against the Royals, Nelson Cruz hit a long tiebreaking three-run homer in the bottom of the inning to put Texas ahead to stay. "The offence is going to do their part as long as I do mine," Holland said. "My job is to limit the damage. I thought I did a nice job of that. And our guys came back and did what theyre capable of doing, get some runs." The Royals, after playing until 3:14 a.m. Friday for a victory at St. Louis, led 1-0 after Adam Moore led off the third with a double and scored on a single by Alcides Escobar. They still had two runners on before a comebacker and an inning-ending grounder. "Thats part of the reason weve been struggling a little bit. You get second and third with one out and we take the lead, have an opportunity to tack some more on, and we just couldnt," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "Theyre giving us a run, theyre playing the infield back and we couldnt take advantage of it, we hit the ball to the pitcher and we cant get a two-out hit. ... Thats the way things have been going." The Royals finished 8-20 in May, losing nine of their last 10 games. Cruz pulled a ball an estimated 419 feet, his 13th homer hitting a scoreboard high above the first section of seats in left field, to make it 4-1 against Wade Davis (3-5). "Its just a weird day, it was a weird day," Davis said. "I was a little sluggish, but I made good pitches, I just made one bad one. &quoot; Adrian Beltre led off the Rangers seventh off the Royals second reliever with his 11th homer, his fourth hit of the game.ddddddddddddIt was his fourth four-hit game this season -- all in May, the first Texas player with four such games in a month. He had 44 hits in May and is hitting .306, over .300 for the first time this season. Beltres eight-game hitting streak includes multiple hits in five of his past seven games. He had an RBI single right before the Cruz homer. "When you see Adrian recognize a breaking ball and go down to his knee and it leaves the ballpark, you know hes swinging the bat well," Washington said. The Rangers (34-20) have played exactly one-third of their regular season, and matched their most wins at this point. Kansas City had an eight-game losing streak before the win over the Cardinals. That game started an hour late because of rain, and then had another 4 1/2-hour delay after the Royals took the lead with three runs in the top of the ninth in George Bretts first game as their hitting coach. The Royals got to their Texas hotel about 7 a.m. Friday -- right fielder Jeff Francoeur said the sun was coming up and people were already having breakfast as team members headed to their rooms. Davis had a season-high eight strikeouts with no walks in what was otherwise another tough start against Texas, giving up six runs and 10 hits in five-plus innings. The right-hander is 0-3 with a 17.18 ERA in three starts against the Rangers. He twice started for Tampa Bay against them, giving up seven runs in 2 2-3 innings and then eight runs in 3 1-3 innings. The last batter Davis faced was A.J. Pierzynski, who hit a ball that ricocheted off the padding on the top of the 8-foot wall in straightaway centre. Pierzynski rounded first base with his right hand extended above his head signalling home run. Washington went out to question the play with the umpires, who did go look at the replay that showed clearly that the ball stayed in the park. After reliever Bruce Chen walked Jurickson Profar to load the bases, No. 9 hitter Leonys Martin hit a two-run double. Notes: Rangers RHP Alexi Ogando pitched six innings, allowing two unearned runs, in a rehab start for Double-A Frisco. He went on the 15-day disabled list May 16 with right biceps tendinitis. He could rejoin the Rangers next week. ' ' '