François Clerc
 Clerc as a Saint-Étienne player in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | François Clerc | ||
| Date of birth | 18 April 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Bourg-en-Bresse, France | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right back | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Saint-Étienne | ||
| Number | 29 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1997 | Bourg-Péronnas | ||
| 1997–2001 | Lyon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2005 | Lyon B | 67 | (7) |
| 2004–2005 | → Toulouse (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2005–2010 | Lyon | 78 | (1) |
| 2010–2012 | Nice | 61 | (5) |
| 2012– | Saint-Étienne | 65 | (3) |
| National team | |||
| 2005–2006 | France U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | France | 13 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 January 2015. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
François Clerc (born 18 April 1983) is a French footballer who plays for AS Saint-Étienne as a right back.
Club career
Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, Clerc joined Olympique Lyonnais at the age of 14. After spending his first years as a senior with the reserves, he was loaned to Toulouse FC with which he first appeared in Ligue 1, making his debut in the competition on 14 August 2004 in a 4–1 away win against RC Strasbourg.
Returned to L'OL for the 2005–06 season, Clerc went on to become and important first-team member as the club won three national championships in a row, contributing with 62 league appearances combined in that timeframe. He battled with Anthony Réveillère for first-choice status during his tenure, appeared in 20 UEFA Champions League games[1] but was also banned for four matches and fined €150,000 by the French Professional Football League, after he incurred in an illegal transfer agreement to Olympique de Marseille in 2006.[2]
In the 2010 summer, free agent Clerc joined OGC Nice also in the top division.[3] He scored a career-best four goals in his second year with the Côte d'Azur side, but it could only rank 13th.
On 9 July 2012, Clerc signed a three-year deal with AS Saint-Étienne.[4] He scored his first and only goal of the campaign on 17 March 2013, helping the hosts come from behind for a 2–2 draw against Paris-Saint Germain FC.[5]
International career
Clerc earned his first cap for France on 11 October 2006, in a 5–0 win over Faroe Islands for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers. He was selected by coach Raymond Domenech for the finals in Austria and Switzerland, replacing longtime incumbent Willy Sagnol for the last and decisive group stage clash against Italy, which ended in a 0–2 loss and exit.
Honours
- Lyon
- Ligue 1: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
- Coupe de France: 2007–08
- Trophée des Champions: 2006, 2007
- Coupe de la Ligue: Runner-up 2006–07
- Saint-Étienne
References
- ↑ "Lyon: Clerc frappe à la porte" [Lyon: Clerc knocks on the door] (in French). FIFA.com. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Contractual problem costs Clerc; UEFA.com, 26 September 2006
- ↑ Roy: «De grandes chances que Clerc soit avec nous» (Roy: «There is a big possibility that Clerc will be with us»); RMC Sport, 1 September 2010 (French)
- ↑ Alexandre Chochois (9 July 2012). "Saint-Etienne: François Clerc (Nice) pour trois ans (off.)" [Saint-Etienne: François Clerc (Nice) for three years (off.)] (in French). Foot National. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ↑ "Saint-Etienne-PSG (2–2): le film du match" [Saint-Etienne-PSG (2–2): game film] (in French). Le Parisien. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
External links
- L'Équipe stats (French)
- Francois Clerc French league stats at LFP.fr (French)
- François Clerc at National-Football-Teams.com
- Soccerway profile
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