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".
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.
1998
In 1998, Clichy joined AS Tournefeuille and began attending secondary at the Collège Leonardo da Vinci.
During his stint at Tournefeuille, he was selected to attend the Pôle Espoirs de Castelmaurou, a regional academy located in the Midi-Pyrénées region that trained players similarly to the Clairefontaine academy in Île-de-France.
Clichy spent three years at the center training there during the weekdays and playing with Tournefeuille on the weekends.
2000
In 2000, after developing at both Tournefeuille and Castelmaurou, Clichy was linked to a host of professional clubs, including Auxerre, Bordeaux, and Toulouse who were seeking to obtain his services.
2001
In 2001, he moved to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region to play for professional club Cannes.
2002
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.
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.
2003
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.
Aside from the 2003–04 league title, he has also won the 2004 FA Community Shield in with Arsenal.
2006
After three seasons of backing up Ashley Cole, in the 2006–07 season, Clichy took over the starters' role permanently.
2007
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.
2008
Clichy made his senior international debut in September 2008 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Serbia.
2010
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.
2011
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).
2012
He additionally featured in the UEFA Euro 2012 squad, before making his last international appearance in 2013.
Clichy was born and raised in Toulouse, in southwestern France.
His mother, Jacqueline, is a medical nurse, while his father, Claude, was an educator in the city.
While Clichy was beginning his football career, his father often served as a part-time coach and referee.
At the age of 15 while playing for Cannes, Clichy nearly died.
After climbing over a metal fence while crossing a ground at the club's facility, a ring he was wearing got caught in the fence, which resulted in the skin and tissue from the fourth finger of his right hand being completely torn off.
During the seven-hour operation to repair the finger, Clichy's heart stopped beating due to a problem with his lungs.
It restarted after 15 seconds.
The doctor who led the operation described Clichy's survival as "a miracle", while the player himself admitted that the ordeal changed his attitude towards life stating "It made me realise that life can go quick. You could leave tomorrow so you have to enjoy it to the maximum so you don't regret anything the next day. You can look forward to the future but not too far ahead".
Clichy began his football career at the age of five playing for his hometown club AS Hersoise.
He, initially, was a predominantly right-footed player, but through decisive coaching from his father, Clichy's left foot eventually became his primary.
One such example of his father's coaching came during a regional youth cup match, which his father was refereeing.
The younger Clichy was informed by his father that if he scored a goal with his right foot, he would disallow it.
Following this, Clichy developed his left foot "to the point where he eventually forgot his right foot".
After five seasons with Hersoise, Clichy joined JS Cugnaux, a local club based in nearby Cugnaux.
He spent only one year at the club before moving to AS Muret.
2017
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.
