PLAYER PROFILE

Gael Clichy

Position: Defence

Height: 6'0

Weight: 11st 2lbs

Date of Birth: 1985-07-26 Toulouse, France

Gael Clichy

French defender Gael Clichy was born in 1985 and the youngster's football career began in August 2001 when he signed as a trainee for Cannes.

After two years, he left his native land to sign for Arsenal for a nominal fee. Clichy was handed a first team squad number, which shows how highly Arsene Wenger rates him, and was included in the Carling Cup squad for the game against Rotherham.

He went from strength to strength after that, making 22 appearances by the end of the season, including his Champions League debut against Celta Vigo. However, he struggled with injury during most of the 05/06 season.

There was better news during the summer of 2006 though as the departure of Ashley Cole to Chelsea allowed him to become the first choice left back for Arsenal. He then went on to play 35 games in the 06/07 season, becoming one of the more experienced members of a youthful team.

This fantastic form continued into 2007/08, and at the end of the campaign he was rewarded with a place in the PFA Team of the Year and a new contract.

He continued this form in 2008/09 and scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 defeat at Stoke City in November. The only lowlight came at the end of the season when a back injury ruled him out of the last few games of the campaign.