Torsten Frings facts for kids
Frings during his time as Werder Bremen assistant manager
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Torsten Klaus Frings | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 November 1976 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Würselen, West Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1988 | Rot-Weiß Alsdorf | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1990 | Rhenania Alsdorf | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1994 | Alemannia Aachen II | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Alemannia Aachen | 57 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Werder Bremen (A) | 1 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2002 | Werder Bremen | 162 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Borussia Dortmund | 47 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Bayern Munich | 29 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2011 | Werder Bremen | 164 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Toronto FC | 33 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 493 | (65) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Germany U21 | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Germany B | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2009 | Germany | 79 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Darmstadt 98 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | SV Meppen | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Torsten Klaus Frings (born 22 November 1976) is a German former football player and manager. He last managed SV Meppen.
During his playing career, Frings was a midfielder. He played for several German clubs like Alemannia Aachen, Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich. He finished his career with the Canadian MLS team Toronto FC. Frings also played 79 matches for the German national team. He took part in two European Championships and two FIFA World Cups.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out
Torsten Frings began his professional football journey at Alemannia Aachen. This club was in the third division at the time. In the 1996–97 season, he moved to Werder Bremen.
With Werder Bremen, he helped the team win the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup. He even scored the winning goal in the final match. In 1999, he played in the German Cup final, where Werder Bremen beat Bayern Munich. He played over 160 games in the Bundesliga for Werder Bremen.
Time at Borussia Dortmund
In 2002, many top European clubs wanted Frings. But he decided to join Borussia Dortmund. He signed a four-year contract for about €10 million.
In his first year at Dortmund, Frings played regularly. He also played 12 times in the UEFA Champions League. He scored goals both at home and away against Lokomotiv Moscow.
Frings had a knee injury in July 2003. He didn't play again until January 2004. He then took on a key playmaking role for the team. He scored four goals in 16 games that season.
Playing for Bayern Munich
After Dortmund, Frings signed a three-year contract with Bayern Munich. He won two major titles with Bayern: the German league (Bundesliga) and the German Cup.
He played 29 league games and 10 Champions League games for Bayern. However, Frings later said he did not fully enjoy his time there. The coach often played him in different positions.
Return to Werder Bremen
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In June 2005, Frings went back to Werder Bremen. The exact transfer fee was not shared. He signed a three-year deal with his old club. He helped them reach the Champions League group stage again.
Moving to Toronto FC and Retirement
On 29 June 2011, Frings agreed to join Major League Soccer team Toronto FC. He joined as a "designated player," which means his salary doesn't fully count against the team's budget.
Frings played his first game for Toronto on 20 July 2011. He became the team's permanent captain soon after. On 27 June 2012, he scored his first MLS goal. It was a powerful free kick from far away.
Frings missed the end of the 2012 season due to a hip injury. He needed surgery for it. His recovery took longer than expected. Because of this, he decided to retire from football in February 2013.
After retiring, Frings said he wanted to become a coach. The club president also hoped to keep working with him.
International Career
Frings played for the German national team. He was part of the squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Germany reached the final but lost to Brazil. In a quarter-final match against the United States, Frings touched the ball with his hand near the goal line. The referee decided it was not on purpose.
He also played in UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. Germany won a bronze medal in the Confederations Cup.
2006 FIFA World Cup
Frings was also chosen for Germany's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in their home country. On 9 June 2006, he scored Germany's fourth goal in a 4–2 win against Costa Rica. It was a strong shot from over 30 yards away.
After Germany won against Argentina in a penalty shootout, a disagreement happened between the teams. Frings was involved in this incident. FIFA, the world football body, looked at videos of what happened. They decided to suspend Frings for two games. This meant he could not play in Germany's semi-final match against Italy, which Germany lost.
The decision to suspend him was controversial. It was announced just one day before the important semi-final. Some people felt the decision was unfair. Frings himself said, "This is all politics." He felt FIFA wanted to show that Germany, as the host country, didn't get special treatment.
Later International Matches
Frings was also in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2008. Germany reached the final but lost to Spain. However, he was not chosen for the 2010 FIFA World Cup team.
His last game for Germany was on 11 February 2009. In total, he played 79 games for his country.
How He Played
Torsten Frings was a very active and versatile midfielder. He could play in many different midfield roles. He was best in the middle of the field. He would run from his own goal area to the opponent's goal area. He was known for his hard work, good vision, and strong passes with both feet.
He often played as a defensive midfielder. Here, he was excellent at tackling opponents. Frings was a big, strong, and determined player. He was also a leader on the field. He was good at heading the ball and could even play as a defender. He was known for his powerful shots from long distances.
Coaching Career
Werder Bremen
After he stopped playing, Frings became a youth coach at Werder Bremen. The club's former CEO said Frings could learn coaching from the ground up there. In October 2014, he joined the coaching staff for the main team. He got his official coaching license in March 2015.
Darmstadt 98
On 27 December 2016, Frings became the head coach of Darmstadt 98. The team was in last place when he took over. His first game was a 0–0 draw. Darmstadt 98 finished last in the 2016–17 season and moved down to a lower league. Frings was removed from his coaching role on 9 December 2017.
SV Meppen
He was then appointed as the new head coach of SV Meppen on 14 July 2020. He coached the team until 14 April 2021, when he was let go.
Personal Life
Torsten Frings is married to Petra. They have two children named Lisa-Katharina and Lena Alina. He enjoys spending time with his family and riding his motorcycle.
Legacy
A character in the TV show Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul, named Gustavo Fring, was named after Torsten Frings.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | App | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||||
| Alemannia Aachen | 1994–95 | Regionalliga West | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| 1995–96 | 32 | 12 | — | — | — | 32 | 12 | ||||||
| 1996–97 | 19 | 1 | — | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 57 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 13 | — | ||
| Werder Bremen II | 1996–97 | Regionalliga Nord | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Werder Bremen | 1996–97 | Bundesliga | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| 1997–98 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 33 | 2 | ||||
| 1998–99 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 3 | — | 39 | 9 | ||||
| 1999–2000 | 33 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 3 | |||
| 2000–01 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | ||||
| 2001–02 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 162 | 15 | 13 | 3 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 208 | 21 | — | ||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2002–03 | Bundesliga | 31 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 8 | |
| 2003–04 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 4 | |||
| Total | 47 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 12 | — | ||
| Bayern Munich | 2004–05 | Bundesliga | 29 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 5 | |
| Werder Bremen | 2005–06 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 5 | ||
| 2006–07 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 3 | |||
| 2007–08 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |||
| 2008–09 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | — | 48 | 4 | ||||
| 2009–10 | 30 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 4 | — | 45 | 10 | ||||
| 2010–11 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 39 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 164 | 21 | 16 | 1 | 47 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 231 | 30 | — | ||
| Toronto FC | 2011 | MLS | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2012 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 25 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 33 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 44 | 2 | — | |||
| Career total | 493 | 65 | 40 | 4 | 105 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 649 | 84 | — | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2001 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | 17 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2006 | 16 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 79 | 10 | |
- Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Frings goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 March 2002 | Ostseestadion, Rostock, Germany |  United States |
4–1 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 9 May 2002 | Schwarzwald-Stadion, Freiburg, Germany |  Kuwait |
1–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 27 May 2004 | Schwarzwald-Stadion, Freiburg, Germany |  Malta |
4–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 15 June 2004 | Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal |  Netherlands |
1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2004 |
| 5 | 9 February 2005 | Merkur Spielarena, Düsseldorf, Germany |  Argentina |
1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 6 | 12 October 2005 | Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany |  China |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 27 May 2006 | Schwarzwald-Stadion, Freiburg, Germany |  Luxembourg |
2–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 9 June 2006 | Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany |  Costa Rica |
4–2 | 4–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 9 | 7 February 2007 | Merkur Spielarena, Düsseldorf, Germany |  Switzerland |
3–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 10 | 2 June 2007 | Max-Morlock-Stadion, Nuremberg, Germany |  San Marino |
3–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
Managerial statistics
| Team! | From! | To! | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | Ref. | |||
| Darmstadt 98 | 27 December 2016 | 9 December 2017 | 36 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 42 | 61 | −19 | 25.00 | |
| SV Meppen | 14 July 2020 | 14 April 2021 | 31 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 32 | 51 | −19 | 35.48 | |
| Total | 67 | 20 | 11 | 36 | 74 | 112 | −38 | 29.85 | — | ||
Honours
Werder Bremen
- DFB-Pokal: 1998–99, 2008–09
- DFB-Ligapokal: 2006
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 2004–05
- DFB-Pokal: 2004–05
- DFB-Ligapokal: 2004
Toronto FC
- Canadian Championship: 2012
Germany
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2002; third place: 2006
- FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2005
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2008
Individual
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07
See also
In Spanish: Torsten Frings para niños
