Brad Friedel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Brad Friedel

Friedel with Tottenham Hotspur in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Bradley Howard Friedel
Date of birth	(1971-05-18) May 18, 1971 (age 54)
Place of birth	Lakewood, Ohio, United States
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1990–1993	UCLA Bruins	66	(0)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995	Brøndby	0	(0)
1995–1996	Galatasaray	30	(0)
1996–1997	Columbus Crew	38	(0)
1997–2000	Liverpool	25	(0)
2000–2008	Blackburn Rovers	288	(1)
2008–2011	Aston Villa	114	(0)
2011–2015	Tottenham Hotspur	50	(0)
Total		547	(1)
International career
2000	United States Olympic (O.P.)	4	(0)
1992–2005	United States	82	(0)
Managerial career
2016–2017	United States U19
2017–2019	New England Revolution
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bradley Howard Friedel (born May 18, 1971) is an American soccer coach and former player. He was a goalkeeper during his playing career.

Friedel played 84 games for the U.S. national team from 1992 to 2005. He played in three FIFA World Cup tournaments. He holds a Premier League record for playing 310 games in a row. He achieved this while playing for Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur.

He is also Aston Villa's oldest player ever. He set this record on February 1, 2011, at 39 years and 259 days old. His last game for Villa was on May 22, 2011, when he was 40 years and four days old. On May 6, 2012, Friedel became the oldest player to play for Tottenham. He played a total of 450 Premier League games. This is a record for any player from North or South America.

Early Life and College Soccer

Friedel was born in Lakewood, Ohio, and grew up in Bay Village. He went to Westerly Elementary, Bay Middle School, and Bay High School. As a kid, Friedel played many sports. These included soccer, basketball, and tennis. He was very good at all of them. In 1989, he won Bay High's Outstanding Athlete of the Year award.

He started as a forward in youth soccer. Later, he became a goalkeeper. Friedel finished high school in 1989. In 2007, he was added to the Bay High Hall of Fame.

Friedel played college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1990, he helped the UCLA Bruins win the NCAA championship. He was chosen as the best college goalkeeper in 1991 and 1992. In 1993, he won the Hermann Trophy as the top college soccer player. He played 66 games for UCLA and started every one.

Professional Soccer Career

Starting His Journey in Europe

Friedel left UCLA early to become a professional player. He tried to join Nottingham Forest in England. But he could not get a special permit to work there. This happened a few times when he tried to move to England.

After a short tryout in Scotland, Newcastle United wanted to sign him. But again, he could not get a work permit. While waiting, he trained with Newcastle.

In 1995, Friedel joined Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF in Denmark. He stayed there for several months as a backup goalkeeper. He then returned to the U.S. to play for the national team.

He tried a third time to join an English club, Sunderland. When he still could not get a work permit, he moved to Turkish team Galatasaray in 1995. This transfer was worth $1.1 million.

Playing in Major League Soccer

In July 1996, Friedel moved back to the U.S. He joined the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer (MLS). In February 1997, he signed a three-year contract and became the team's main goalkeeper. That season, he was named to the MLS Best XI (best team) and won the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.

Time at Liverpool

In 1997, Friedel moved to Liverpool in England for £1.7 million. He finally got his work permit on December 23, 1997. He played his first game for Liverpool on February 28, 1998. Friedel had some good moments, but he played only about 30 games in almost three years. He was often a backup goalkeeper. His work permit at Liverpool ended in 2000.

Success with Blackburn Rovers

Friedel warming up for Blackburn Rovers

On November 7, 2000, Friedel joined Blackburn Rovers for free. His former manager from Galatasaray, Graeme Souness, signed him. He played his first game on November 18, a 1–0 win. His team was promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2000–01 season.

Friedel was named the best player in the 2002 Football League Cup final. Blackburn Rovers won the cup 2–1 against Tottenham Hotspur. At the end of the 2002–03 season, Friedel had 15 clean sheets (games without letting in a goal). He won Blackburn's Player of the Year award. He was also chosen for the Premier League's best team.

On February 21, 2004, Friedel scored a goal in a game against Charlton Athletic. He scored from a corner kick in the 90th minute, making the score 2–2. But Charlton scored again right after, winning 3–2. He was only the second goalkeeper in Premier League history to score a goal (not an own goal).

Friedel signed new contracts with Blackburn in 2005, 2007, and 2008. He said Blackburn was "home" to him. However, he left the club at the end of that season. He was just two games short of the club record for a goalkeeper. In February 2019, he was one of the first players added to Blackburn's Hall of Fame.

Playing for Aston Villa

Friedel playing for Aston Villa

Friedel asked Blackburn if he could talk to Aston Villa about joining them. Blackburn accepted an offer of about £2.5 million. Friedel signed a three-year contract with Villa on July 26, 2008. He played his first game for Villa on August 2, saving a penalty kick. His first league game for Villa was on August 17, 2008. Villa won 4–2 against Manchester City.

On November 30, 2008, he broke the record for playing the most continuous games in the Premier League. He played his 167th game, which ended in a 0–0 draw. On January 16, 2011, he reached 250 consecutive league games. Friedel became the oldest player ever to play for Villa on February 1.

Time at Tottenham Hotspur

Friedel's contract with Aston Villa ended after the 2010–11 season. On June 3, 2011, Tottenham Hotspur announced they signed Friedel for two years. On August 22, 2011, Friedel started in goal for Tottenham. This helped him extend his record of consecutive Premier League games. During the 2011–12 season, Friedel also became the oldest player to appear in the Premier League.

In 2012, Tottenham signed Hugo Lloris, a French national team goalkeeper. This made some people wonder if Friedel would still be the main goalkeeper. But Tottenham's manager said Friedel would remain number one. Friedel's streak of 310 consecutive Premier League games ended on October 7, 2012. He was on the bench for that game. However, he returned to play in the next match on October 20, 2012.

On December 26, 2012, Friedel signed a new contract with Spurs until 2014. He signed another one-year contract extension on June 9, 2014, keeping him at the club until 2015. Friedel also became a club ambassador, helping Tottenham in the United States. On May 14, 2015, Friedel announced he would retire from playing soccer at the end of the 2014–15 season.

International Career for the U.S.

Friedel is the fourth-most capped goalkeeper for the U.S. national team. He played his first international game against Canada in 1992. He kept a clean sheet in that game. He was the main goalkeeper for the U.S. 1992 Olympic team.

He made his World Cup debut in the 1998 World Cup. In the 2002 World Cup, the U.S. team had a surprising run to the quarter-finals. Friedel played a big part in this. He became the second goalkeeper ever to save two penalty kicks in a World Cup tournament. Fans called him "The Human Wall" during this amazing World Cup.

Friedel announced he was retiring from international soccer on February 7, 2005.

Life After Playing Soccer

Working in Media

After retiring, Friedel worked as a soccer expert for the BBC during the 2014 World Cup. He also appeared on other sports shows.

Coaching Career

On January 5, 2016, Friedel became the head coach for the United States under 19s team. He also helped the U.S. team win the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship as an assistant coach.

On November 9, 2017, Friedel was named the head coach of the New England Revolution, an MLS team. He coached them until May 9, 2019.

Working in Management

On June 7, 2024, Friedel became an advisor to the Board of Directors at the Turkish club Beşiktaş. He held this position until November of the same year.

Personal Life

Friedel grew up in Ohio, in the Midwest. But after living in England for over ten years, he developed a slight English accent. He once said, "The English don't think I have an accent at all. They think I sound American. And Americans think I sound English. I think I'm caught in the middle."

Friedel is a fan of the NFL team, the Cleveland Browns. He also looks up to former American goalkeeper Tim Harris, calling him "the person who started my journey."

In 2007, Friedel started a non-profit soccer academy in Lorain, Ohio. It cost about $10 million. The academy offered free coaching to young players aged 12 and older. However, the academy faced financial difficulties after the 2008 financial crisis. It closed in 2011.

Career Statistics

Friedel during his time at Blackburn Rovers in April 2001

Club Appearances

Managerial Record

Awards and Achievements

Galatasaray

• Turkish Cup: 1995–96

Blackburn Rovers

• Football League Cup: 2001–02

Aston Villa

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2009–10

United States National Team

• FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 1999

Individual Awards

• Hermann Trophy: 1992 (Best college soccer player)
• MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award: 1997
• U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 2002
• Alan Hardaker Trophy: 2002 (Best player in the League Cup Final)
• Most clean sheets in the Premier League: 2002–03
• PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2002–03 (Chosen as one of the best players in the league)
• Barclays Premier League Merit Award: 2008–09
• IFFHS Best Goalkeepers of the 21st Century: 30th place
• Soccer America College Team of the Century
• National Soccer Hall of Fame: 2018

See also

In Spanish: Brad Friedel para niños