Former Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy left the Premier League in 2017, following eight years with Arsenal and another six with Manchester City. But the 37-year-old is still playing football today, with Swiss club Servette FC.
On Saturday, Clichy provided one of the highlights of the Swiss Super League season, scoring a perfectly-placed finish over the opposition goalkeeper from just over the halfway line.
L’incroyable but de @Gaelclichy22 du milieu de terrain face au @FCSion 🤯 🚀
📺Le résumé du carton servettien lors du #DerbyDuRhône est à retrouver ici 👉https://t.co/UQ0voym2L1#NotreVilleNotreClub pic.twitter.com/XivSXCAx3p
— Servette FC (@ServetteFC) May 13, 2023
Clichy explained afterwards that he’d received an Instagram direct message from a Servette fan revealing that the FC Sion goalkeeper tends to play a bit higher up than most, and he had that in mind when he went for the effort.
Servette have since shared a picture of the message, where the fan indeed states that “the opposition goalkeeper tonight tends to be a bit advanced. If you ever get a stroke of luck from the kick-off…”
Quite why the fan decided to DM Gael Clichy, a left-back, with this information, only the supporter themselves will know.
Incredibly, it ended up being the perfect thing to do, inspiring a unique moment in Clichy’s career.
Servette finished the match 5-0 winners, strengthening their position in the second Champions League qualifying spot. They’re four points clear of third-place Lugano (who have a game in hand) with three games of their campaign remaining.