Player Profile - Torsten Frings

A reliable holding midfielder, Torsten Frings has overcome a frustrating spell at Bayern Munich to reaffirm his credentials for Germany.

Frings was unable to handle the spotlight during a season at the Bundesliga champions, but his return to Werder Bremen has channelled the 29-year-old's energies.

‚Ç£For me, he is the most important player in the national team.‚Ç¥
Klaus Allofs, Werder Bremen sports director

Originally a striker, Frings started his career with Bremen and won the German Cup in 1999, by which time he had been converted into a midfielder.

Renowned for his close control and speed, he was handed his international debut in a February 2001 friendly against France before going on to play in all seven games as Germany reached the final of the last World Cup.

In 2002, Frings moved to then-champions Borussia Dortmund, but was on the move again after the next major international tournament.

Frings had suffered a cruciate ligament injury in July 2003, which kept him out for six months, but he was in peak condition for the European Championship.

After scoring in the 1-1 draw with Holland at Euro 2004, and playing in all three first round games, Frings linked up with Bayern in a £6 million deal and signed a three-year contract.

But Frings did not see eye-to-eye with coach Felix Magath and he also struggled to adjust to the intensity of being a Bayern player.

He featured in all five of Germany's games at the Confederations Cup in 2005 and then secured his exit from Bayern by returning to Bremen in a swap deal involving Valerien Ismael.

Though Frings won the domestic double with Bayern, his move back to Bremen came as a great relief and he soon asserted himself in Thomas Schaaf's team.

A calf injury ruled Frings out of the March friendly against the USA, but he will head to the World Cup finals with half a century of caps under his belt.