Gaël Clichy
Gaël Dimitri Clichy (born 26 July 1985) is a French former professional footballer who played as a left-back. He is currently the assistant manager of the France national under-21 team. Predominantly left-footed but naturally right-footed, he was described earlier in his career as a player who possesses "almost unrivaled stamina" that is "quick in the tackle and willing to drive forward".
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Clichy with Manchester City, celebrating winning the Premier League in 2012 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gaël Dimitri Clichy | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 July 1985 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Toulouse, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1996 | Hersoise | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Matador F.C | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Muret | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Tournefeuille | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Cannes | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Cannes | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2011 | Arsenal | 187 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2017 | Manchester City | 138 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | İstanbul Başakşehir | 87 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Servette | 79 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 506 | (7) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | France U21 | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2013 | France | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | France U21 (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Clichy was born in the city of Toulouse and began his football career playing for a host of amateur clubs in the Haute-Garonne département such as JS Cugnaux, AS Muret, and Tournefeuille. In 2001, he moved to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region to play for professional club Cannes. Clichy made his professional debut for the club in the 2002–03 season while the club was playing in the Championnat National, the third level of French football. After three seasons with Cannes, in 2003, he was convinced by manager and countryman Arsène Wenger to join Arsenal in England.
In Clichy's first season with the club, he was a member of the squad, dubbed the Invincibles, that went undefeated in the league season. As a result of the title, at 18 years and 10 months, Clichy became the youngest player to win a Premier League medal. After three seasons of backing up Ashley Cole, in the 2006–07 season, Clichy took over the starters' role permanently. In the 2007–08 season, he appeared in all 38 league matches. His performances during the season earned him an appearance on the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Team of the Year. Aside from the 2003–04 league title, he has also won the 2004 FA Community Shield in with Arsenal. Clichy moved on in 2011 to more success with Manchester City, adding two more Premier League titles (2011–12 and 2013–14) and two League Cups (2014 and 2016). He left England after 14 years for Turkish side İstanbul Başakşehir in 2017, with whom he won the national league in 2020.
Clichy is a former French youth international and has represented his nation at every level for which he was eligible. Prior to playing for the senior team, he played on the under-17 team that finished runners-up to Switzerland at the 2002 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. Clichy made his senior international debut in September 2008 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Serbia. He made his first major international tournament appearance for France at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Clichy made one appearance in the competition against South Africa in the final group stage match. He additionally featured in the UEFA Euro 2012 squad, before making his last international appearance in 2013.