While his inter-county season may have ended in disappointment with an All-Ireland final defeat to Dublin, there is no doubt that David Clifford was a worthy recipient of the Footballer of the Year gong he received at the All-Stars earlier this month.
The Kerry man is without doubt the most talented footballer in the country at the moment. This season was not quite as dominant as the one we saw from him in 2022, but he was still the right choice for that award.
Of course, the decision was debated by some. As All-Ireland winners, many felt that a Dublin player should have been recognised with the trophy.
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Paul Flynn contacted David Clifford over controversial tweet
Even months before that award was handed out, some were already starting the debate on whether David Clifford should win it. Former Dubs star Paul Flynn was at the centre of that conversation, sending out this tweet in the couple of days that followed the All-Ireland final.
Clifford was smoked against Dublin and poor against Tyrone yet still ppl think he is footballer of the year. Not for me - James Mc led Dublin to glory without having his best day yest! He’s a born winner and leader.
— Paul Flynn (@Flinto23) July 31, 2023
It received quite the reaction at the time, with some unhappy with the way Flynn had expressed his point.
The Fingallians man would go on to clarify that his comments were in no way meant to a slight on David Clifford.
Bit of controversy re my last tweet;
Do I think Mick Fitz got the better of Clifford? Yes
Do I think Clifford was POTY? No
Do I think he’s one of best in our generation? Yes - and top ambassador for game.
No more midnight tweets 🤐 https://t.co/sGsPrTpo0f— Paul Flynn (@Flinto23) August 1, 2023
Many would return to this point in the aftermath of Clifford being given the award, with Paul Flynn himself now addressing it publicly for the first time.
Speaking on Second Captains, the Dubliner revealed that he reached out to David Clifford at the time to make sure his point was not misconstrued.
I reached out to Clifford anyway. The main thing for me was that I didn't really care what other people thought, I cared that he might see it or whatever. I didn't not want that.
I reached out to David Clifford and he was dead sound, we cleared the air. I felt good after that, buried it and moved on.
It probably the next day. Once that happened I had put it to bed in my head. I made it clear to him that I made absolutely no disrespect to him and I thought the world of him. Who doesn't?
All the guys there in The Sunday Game would tell you how much I big him up. Even that (All-Ireland final) day with Gooch, I can't get over the lad.
It was just me trying to make a case for James McCarthy. I did it the wrong way.
Paul Flynn would also admit that he regretted the wording of his tweet and has taken a break from the social media platform as a result of the reaction that it received.
You can listen to the podcast in full here and we would recommend that you do so.
Widely regarded as one of the soundest characters in the GAA, it seems that David Clifford did not take the remarks personally as Flynn went to bat for his former teammate.
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