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Gaël Clichy
Personal information
Full name	Gaël Clichy
Date of birth	26 July 1985 (1985-07-26) (age 23)
Place of birth	Toulouse, France
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1][2]
Playing position	Left back
Club information
Current club	Arsenal
Number	22
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2001–2003 2003–	Cannes Arsenal	015 (0) 114 (1)
National team2
2004–2005 2008 2008–	France U21 France B France	010 (0) 002 (0) 002 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:40, 30 November 2008 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 23:40, 30 November 2008 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Gaël Clichy (born 26 July 1985 in Toulouse) is a French football player, who currently plays for Arsenal of the Premier League. He is Arsenal's first-choice left back and can also play as a left wing back.

[edit] Biography

Clichy grew up in Toulouse. In his early years, after climbing over a metal fence, a ring he was wearing got caught and tore his finger off.^[3] He had a seven-hour operation to sew it back on, but during the operation, his heart stopped beating due to a problem with his lungs. After 15 seconds it restarted and, thankfully, he recovered. Doctors described it as a "miracle" that Clichy survived. His mother had the resources to help him recover after years of experience in medical school as a nurse.

Clichy was signed by Arsène Wenger in the summer of 2003 from AS Cannes for £250,000, although he had to be content with playing understudy to England international Ashley Cole during his first three seasons at the club. However, his 12 appearances in the Premiership in Arsenal's victorious 2003–04 season were enough to earn him a winners medal. In doing so, he set the record for youngest winner of a Premiership champions medal.^[4]

After Ashley Cole suffered a fractured foot in October 2005, it seemed that Clichy would earn some valuable first-team action during Cole's time out; indeed, with rumours linking Cole with a transfer to Spain, it seemed that Clichy could make a strong case for continual first-team action. However Clichy ironically suffered an injury identical to Cole's, leaving Arsenal with a crisis at the left-back position.

Clichy returned to first team action on 25 April 2006 in a Champions League semi-final against Villarreal, and came on as a substitute for the injured Mathieu Flamini. Clichy suffered a re-occurrence of his injury and missed the end of the season including the Champions League Final, and would not return to the first team until 14 October 2006.

When Cole left for Chelsea in August 2006, Clichy became the first choice left-back at Arsenal. As Cole's understudy, Clichy made 62 appearances (including 39 in the league) for Arsenal in three seasons. In the season which followed Cole's departure, Clichy made 27 league appearances in a total of 40, and has since become Arsenal's first-choice left back. In the 2007–08 season, Clichy was selected in the PFA Team of the Year as left back. This fine form was rewarded on 20 June 2008, when he signed a new "long-term" contract. He came in second in the Arsenal fans' poll for Player of the Season. He captained Arsenal for the first time against Barnet in Arsenal's first preseason game of 2008–09. Clichy scored his first goal for Arsenal on 1 November 2008, with a late goal against Stoke City, as Arsenal went down 2–1.

[edit] International career

In 2007 he was called up for the French national squad. He was called up again in January 2008, for the French game against Spain, and the 5 February 2008 B friendly against Congo DR.^[5]

Clichy made his senior international debut for France on 10 September 2008 in their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Serbia.

[edit] Career honours

Arsenal

• Winner
  • Premier League: 2003–04
  • FA Cup: 2004–05

• Runner-up
  • Champions League: 2005–06
  • Premier League: 2004–05

Personal

• Member of PFA Team of the Year: 2007–08

[edit] Arsenal career statistics

(correct as of 26 November 2008)^[6]

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ "PFA Profile", PFA (2008-11-04). Retrieved on 4 November 2008. 
2. ^ "Gael Clichy Profile". Sky Sports. Retrieved on 2008-07-16.
3. ^ Clichy excels in Cole role - Football News - Telegraph
4. ^ Clichy excels in Cole role - Football News - Telegraph
5. ^ (French) List of the pre-selected players in the French A-squad in the season 2007-2008.
6. ^ "Statistics". Soccernet. Retrieved on 2008-10-01.
7. ^ Includes FA Cup, League Cup and FA Community Shield

[edit] External links

• Statistics at soccerbase.com