Gaël Clichy has fan to thank for his stunning long-range strike | OneFootball

Former Manchester City and Arsenal left-back Gaël Clichy (37), who is now playing for Servette, has revealed that a fan played a pivotal role in his stunning long-range strike against FC Sion over the weekend.

Clichy scored the third goal in a 5-0 victory over Sion. Servette are currently second in the Swiss top-flight, one-point ahead of third-placed Lugano and 17-points behind league leaders Young Boys. Sion are rock bottom.

His goal came in just the 9th minute of the game. The former French international won the ball back just inside Sion’s half and didn’t hesitate to shoot. He caught out Alexandros Safarikas, who was way out of his goal. Post-match, Clichy revealed that a message from a fan on Instagram contributed to his split-second decision to shoot.

“I received a message on Instagram from a Servette fan, who told me that the goalkeeper tends to be quite advanced, and that stuck in my thoughts. The execution was successful and it’s three points,” said Clichy in a video posted on Servette’s Twitter account.

Clichy, who spent 14 seasons in English football, joined Servette from Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir on a free transfer back in December 2020. The club’s latest victory keeps them ahead in the race for European football next season.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle