The father ofManchester City full-back Gael Clichy has revealed that he played asignificant role in his son's career and jokingly suggested that he would have disallowed Gael'sgoal against Burnley as it was scored with his right foot.
The Frenchman scored his team's first goal in their narrow win over the Clarets last Monday and helped them return to winning ways following a disappointing defeat to Liverpool on New Year's Eve.
Clichy junior has only scored three times for Manchester City and all of them have been scored with his weaker right foot. However, whilst many believe the full-back to be naturally left footed, his father has told theManchester Evening Standardthat this wasn't always that case.
Clichy senior revealed that he encouraged his son to use his left as a youngster and that he threatened to disallow any goals scored by Gael with his right foot.
Hesaid:I told him that if he scored with his right foot I would find a way to disallow it.
Gael Clichy being right footed is one of the weirdest football facts I've read in a long time.
So of course he scored. And I did disallow it, even though we were losing the match! No one understood what was going on.
But I can tell you he started using his left foot after that! And it got to the point where he eventually forgot his right foot.
Now, when we talk about it, he says 'Thanks Papa' and that's something that makes me happy.�
Whilst his father has lifted the lid on their relationship,Clichy Junior has meanwhile praised his teammates for showing character during the win over Burnley. City played nearly an hour of the match with 10-men following Fernandinho's straight red card and were made to sweat on the result after the Clarets halved the deficit with 20 minutes still to play.
Clichysaid of the win:It was probably not the best game we have ever played but we showed great character, and at this time of year after that loss against Liverpool we needed that character.
FULL-TIME Man City 2-1 Burnley. Gael Clichy and Sergio Aguero score as the home side overcome Fernandinho's red card to win #MCIBUR pic.twitter.com/RVtuk3pzYu
To be one man down, we were up against it, but we got the three points.After Liverpool, the pressure was more about starting 2017 as high as possible.
We knew that by winning the game we would go third, and that's where we are. We know we have to improve, to do better, because a club like us wants the best, but we showed that character.�