Manuel Friedrich facts for kids
Friedrich with Borussia Dortmund in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 September 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Bad Kreuznach, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1995 | SG Guldental 07 | ||
| 1995–1998 | Mainz 05 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2000 | Mainz 05 II | 55 | (11) |
| 2000–2002 | Mainz 05 | 63 | (8) |
| 2002–2004 | Werder Bremen II | 13 | (2) |
| 2003 | Werder Bremen | 1 | (0) |
| 2004–2007 | Mainz 05 | 116 | (8) |
| 2007–2013 | Bayer Leverkusen | 147 | (11) |
| 2013–2014 | Borussia Dortmund | 11 | (1) |
| 2014 | Mumbai City | 14 | (1) |
| Total | 420 | (42) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006–2008 | Germany | 9 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Manuel Friedrich, born on September 13, 1979, is a former German professional footballer. He was a strong central defender on the field. Manuel started his football journey at Mainz 05 as a young player.
He played in the Bundesliga, Germany's top football league, for 12 seasons. During this time, he played 258 games and scored 16 goals. His teams included Werder Bremen, Mainz 05, Bayer Leverkusen, and Borussia Dortmund. Before he retired, he also played one season for Mumbai City in India.
Contents
Manuel Friedrich's Club Career
Starting at Mainz and Werder Bremen
Manuel Friedrich was born in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. He began playing football at a club called SG Guldental 07. He then joined 1. FSV Mainz 05 in 1995 as a youth player. He made his first professional appearance for Mainz 05 on February 26, 2000. At that time, Mainz 05 was playing in the 2. Bundesliga, which is Germany's second-highest football league.
In the next two seasons, Manuel became a very important defender for Mainz. He even scored eight goals in the 2001–02 season. None of these goals were penalty kicks. Mainz finished fourth that season, just missing out on promotion to the top league.
Manuel's great playing caught the eye of teams in the Bundesliga. He then signed with SV Werder Bremen. However, his time there was not very successful. He only played one league game in a year and a half. This was for the last seven minutes of a 4–1 win against Schalke 04 on August 23, 2003. In his second season at Bremen, he also played for their reserve team, Werder Bremen II. He missed the entire 2002–03 season because of a serious knee injury.
In January 2004, Manuel returned to Mainz. He played 17 matches and helped the team get promoted to the top league in the 2003–04 season. On May 23, he scored one of his four goals that season. This goal helped Mainz win 3–0 against Eintracht Trier on the final day, securing their promotion. For the next three seasons, he played almost every game and scored four more goals. However, Mainz was relegated back to the second division in 2007.
Playing for Bayer Leverkusen
In July 2007, Manuel Friedrich moved to Bayer 04 Leverkusen. He continued to be a key defender for this team. Early in his first year, he helped Leverkusen win two home games in a row. They beat Karlsruher SC 3–0 and VfL Bochum 2–0. He scored ten league goals in his first three seasons with the club.
In the 2010–11 season, Manuel played only 19 games because of an injury. Despite this, Leverkusen finished second in the league. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League, a big European club competition. On November 23, 2011, in a Champions League match, he scored a last-minute header. This goal helped his team come back to win 2–1 against Chelsea.
Time at Borussia Dortmund
After a short trial in Thailand, Manuel Friedrich joined Borussia Dortmund on November 20, 2013. He joined as a free agent because other defenders like Mats Hummels and Neven Subotić were injured. He played his first game for Dortmund three days later. He played the whole game, but Dortmund lost 3–0 at home to FC Bayern Munich.
Manuel scored his first goal for Borussia Dortmund on February 8, 2014. It was the third goal in a big 5–1 win against his former club, Werder Bremen. This was his 16th goal in Germany's top football league.
Playing in India with Mumbai City
On August 22, 2014, Manuel Friedrich signed with Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League. This was a new football league in India. Coach Peter Reid chose him for Mumbai City's first season. Manuel played 14 matches for the team and scored one goal. His first game was against Atlético de Kolkata.
Manuel Friedrich's International Career
In March 2006, Manuel Friedrich was called up to play for the German national team. This was for a friendly match against the United States. This made him the first player from Mainz to ever play for the national team. However, he did not play in that match. He also was not part of the team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Manuel made his full debut for Germany on August 16, 2006. He played the entire second half of another friendly game, a 3–0 win against Sweden in Gelsenkirchen. He then played the full 90 minutes in Germany's first two Euro 2008 qualifying matches. These were against the Republic of Ireland and San Marino. He scored his first international goal in the game against San Marino. It was the 12th goal in a huge 13–0 victory.
International Goals Scored
Here is a list of the goals Manuel Friedrich scored for the German national team:
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 September 2006 | Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino |  San Marino |
12–0 | 13–0 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
Honours and Achievements
Manuel Friedrich achieved some notable things during his career:
Bayer Leverkusen
- DFB-Pokal: He was a runner-up in the German Cup in 2008–09.
Borussia Dortmund
- DFB-Pokal: He was also a runner-up in the German Cup in 2013–14.
See also
In Spanish: Manuel Friedrich para niños
