{{short description|German former professional footballer (born 1979)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Manuel Friedrich | image = Manuel Friedrich IMG 1578.jpg | caption = Friedrich with Borussia Dortmund in 2014 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|9|13|df=y}} | birth_place = Bad Kreuznach, West Germany | height = 1.89 m | position = Centre back | currentclub = | youthyears1 = 1992–1995 | youthclubs1 = SG Guldental 07 | youthyears2 = 1995–1998 | youthclubs2 = Mainz 05 | years1 = 1998–2000 | clubs1 = Mainz 05 II | caps1 = 55 | goals1 = 11 | years2 = 2000–2002 | clubs2 = Mainz 05 | caps2 = 63 | goals2 = 8 | years3 = 2002–2004 | clubs3 = Werder Bremen II | caps3 = 13 | goals3 = 2 | years4 = 2003 | clubs4 = Werder Bremen | caps4 = 1 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2004–2007 | clubs5 = Mainz 05 | caps5 = 116 | goals5 = 8 | years6 = 2007–2013 | clubs6 = Bayer Leverkusen | caps6 = 147 | goals6 = 11 | years7 = 2013–2014 | clubs7 = Borussia Dortmund | caps7 = 11 | goals7 = 1 | years8 = 2014 | clubs8 = Mumbai City | caps8 = 14 | goals8 = 1 | totalcaps = 420 | totalgoals = 42 | nationalyears1 = 2006–2008 | nationalteam1 = Germany | nationalcaps1 = 9 | nationalgoals1 = 1 }}

'''Manuel Friedrich''' (born 13 September 1979) is a German former professional footballer who played as a central defender.

A Mainz 05 youth product, he amassed Bundesliga totals of 258 games and 16 goals over the course of 12 seasons, representing in the competition Werder Bremen, Mainz 05, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund. He spent a season with Mumbai City before retiring.

==Club career== ===Mainz and Werder Bremen=== Born in Bad Kreuznach, Friedrich started playing football at SG Guldental 07, making his professional debuts with 1. FSV Mainz 05 which he had joined in 1995 – the club was then in the 2. Bundesliga. However, he had to wait until 26 February 2000 to make his competition debut, in a home match against Energie Cottbus.

In the following two seasons, Friedrich was a defensive stalwart, scoring an astonishing eight goals – no penalties – in the latter as Mainz finished fourth, just one point shy of promotion.

Those stellar performances attracted attention from the Bundesliga, and Friedrich signed with SV Werder Bremen, but his time there would be anything but successful as he only appeared once in the league in one and a half years combined, the final seven minutes of the 4–1 home triumph against Schalke 04 on 23 August 2003. In that second season in the Hanseatic city he also featured for the reserve squad, in Regionalliga Nord; 2002–03 had already been totally lost to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0188-0e6a467fecd9-f219e52b17d5-1000--banovic-blow-for-bremen/ | title = Banovic blow for Bremen | publisher = UEFA | date = 21 August 2002 | access-date = 29 June 2010}}</ref>

In late January 2004, Friedrich returned to Mainz, still contributing with 17 matches ''en route'' to top level promotion. On 23 May he scored one of four goals in the league, netting the second in the decisive 3–0 home win against Eintracht Trier on the final day of the campaign (promotion attained on goal difference). In the following three seasons combined he rarely missed a game,<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/players/mfriedrichdata.html | title = Manuel Friedrich - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 2 March 2017 | accessdate = 6 March 2017 | publisher = RSSSF}}</ref> adding four goals, but Mainz would be relegated in 2007.

===Bayer Leverkusen=== In July 2007, Friedrich moved to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, continuing to be an everpresent defensive unit and contributing – early in his first year – to consecutive home wins against Karlsruher SC (3–0) and VfL Bochum (2–0).<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.kicker.de/manuel-friedrich/spieler/bundesliga/2011-12/bayer-04-leverkusen | title = Friedrich, Manuel | publisher = kicker | language = German | access-date = 2 October 2011}}</ref> He scored ten league goals in his first three seasons combined.

Friedrich could only appear in 19 games in 2010–11 due to injury, with Leverkusen finishing in second position and qualifying to the UEFA Champions League. In that competition, on 23 November 2011, he headed home in the last-minute to help the hosts come from behind against Chelsea to win it 2–1.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/2007641--leverkusen-vs-chelsea/ | title = Leverkusen stun Chelsea to progress | publisher = UEFA | date = 23 November 2011 | access-date = 24 November 2011}}</ref>

===Borussia Dortmund=== After an unsuccessful trial with Bangkok Glass F.C. in Thailand,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.goal.com/de/news/968/transfernews/2013/09/11/4253773/manuel-friedrich-n%C3%A4chstes-ziel-thailand?ICID=PP_2361 | title = Manuel Friedrich: Nächstes Ziel Thailand? |trans-title=Manuel Friedrich: Next destination Thailand? | publisher = Goal.com | language = German | date = 11 September 2013 | accessdate = 11 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.thai-fussball.com/en/News-Manuel-Friedrich-Dortmund-instead-of-Thailand-item-440.html | title = Manuel Friedrich: Dortmund instead of Thailand | publisher = Thai-Fussball | date = 21 November 2013 | accessdate = 11 June 2014 | archive-date = 8 November 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171108123103/http://www.thai-fussball.com/en/News-Manuel-Friedrich-Dortmund-instead-of-Thailand-item-440.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> Friedrich joined Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer on 20 November 2013, following injuries to fellow stoppers Mats Hummels and Neven Subotić.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.fussballeuropa.com/news/nach-hummels-schock-dortmund-holt-manuel-friedrich | title = Dortmund holt Manuel Friedrich |trans-title=Dortmund gets Manuel Friedrich | publisher = Fussball Europa | language = German | date = 21 November 2013 | accessdate = 23 November 2013}}</ref> He made his debut for his new team three days later, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 home loss to FC Bayern Munich.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://espnfc.com/uk/en/report/369782/report.html?soccernet=true&cc=5739 | title = Goetze haunts Dortmund | publisher = ESPN FC | date = 23 November 2013 | accessdate = 16 February 2014}}</ref>

Friedrich scored his first goal for BVB on 8 February 2014, netting his team's third in a 5–1 away demolition of former club Werder Bremen. It was his 16th goal in the German top division.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://espnfc.com/uk/en/report/369721/report.html?soccernet=true&cc=5739 | title = Lewandowski at the double | publisher = ESPN FC | date = 8 February 2014 | accessdate = 16 February 2014}}</ref>

===Mumbai City=== On 22 August 2014, Friedrich signed with Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/7083/isl/2014/08/22/5052331/mumbai-city-fc-sign-former-german-international-manuel|title=Mumbai City FC sign former German international Manuel Friedrich|publisher=Goal.com|date=22 August 2014|access-date=22 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824130113/https://www.goal.com/en-india/news/7083/isl/2014/08/22/5052331/mumbai-city-fc-sign-former-german-international-manuel|archive-date=24 August 2014|first=Shikharr|last=Chandra}}</ref> Peter Reid picked him for the inaugural season of Mumbai City, where he made his debut against Atlético de Kolkata and played 14 matches for the side, scoring one goal.

==International career== In March 2006, Friedrich was called up to Germany's squad for a friendly against the United States, thus becoming the first Mainz player to ever represent the national side.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=404215.html | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120529185747/http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=404215.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 29 May 2012 | title = Klinsmann makes Kehl call | publisher = UEFA | date = 14 March 2006 | access-date = 29 June 2010}}</ref> However, he did not receive any playing time in the match, and was not part of the 23-man squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup either.

Friedrich made his full debut on 16 August 2006, playing the entire second half of another friendly, the 3–0 with Sweden in Gelsenkirchen.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/mfriedrich-intl.html | title = Manuel Friedrich - International Appearances | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 2 March 2017 | accessdate = 6 March 2017 | publisher = RSSSF}}</ref> He subsequently featured the full 90 minutes in the German team's opening two Euro 2008 qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland and San Marino, scoring his first international goal in the latter, the 12th in a 13–0 victory over the group underdogs.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/euro2012/history/season=2008/round=2241/match=83623/report=rp.html | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120529185744/http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/euro2012/history/season=2008/round=2241/match=83623/report=rp.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 29 May 2012 | title = Records tumble as Germany soar | publisher = UEFA | date = 6 September 2006 | access-date = 29 June 2010 }}</ref>

===International goals=== :''Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Friedrich goal.''

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ List of international goals scored by Manuel Friedrich |- !scope="col"|No. !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition |- | align="center"|1 || 6 September 2006 || Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino || {{fb|SMR}} || align="center"|12–0 || align="center"|13–0 || Euro 2008 qualifying |}

==Honours== '''Bayer Leverkusen'''<ref name="Soccerway">{{cite web | url = https://int.soccerway.com/players/manuel-friedrich/1687/ | title = M. Friedrich – Trophies | publisher = Soccerway | accessdate = 22 August 2014}}</ref> *DFB-Pokal: runner-up 2008–09

'''Borussia Dortmund'''<ref name="Soccerway"/> *DFB-Pokal: runner-up 2013–14

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{Fussballdaten|manuel-friedrich}} * {{WorldFootball.net|manuel-friedrich}} * [http://www.leverkusen.com/whoiswho/whoiswho.php?view=Friedric Leverkusen who's who] * {{NFT player|13665}} * {{kicker|manuel-friedrich}} * {{Soccerway|manuel-friedrich/1687}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedrich, Manuel}} Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Bad Kreuznach Category:German men's footballers Category:Men's association football defenders Category:Germany men's international footballers Category:Germany men's B international footballers Category:Bundesliga players Category:2. Bundesliga players Category:1. FSV Mainz 05 players Category:SV Werder Bremen players Category:SV Werder Bremen II players Category:Bayer 04 Leverkusen players Category:Borussia Dortmund players Category:Indian Super League players Category:Mumbai City FC players Category:German expatriate men's footballers Category:German expatriate sportspeople in India Category:Expatriate men's footballers in India Category:Footballers from Rhineland-Palatinate