My Career: Brad Friedel

Brad Friedel could reach unchartered territory. If the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper makes an appearance for his club in the remainder of the season he will become the oldest player in Premier League history.

October 15th was the date at which Friedel went beyond former Manchester City goalkeeper John Burridge’s record age of 43 years, four months and 26 days and so now all the American needs to do is get on the pitch.

It has, therefore, been quite a career for a shot-stopper who signed a new one-year contract with Tottenham in the summer and can count Galatasaray, Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa as just some of his former clubs.

Friedel first had a long wait for a work permit to come to England but he has since played in a World Cup, won club cups – including the League Cup, and can be considered one of the most respected Premier League goalkeepers.

Speaking at the launch of his celebrity trader page on cityindex.co.uk in aid of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation charity, the Ohio native talked Sky Sports through the highs and lows of this fascinating career.

FINEST HOUR – 2002 WORLD CUP WITH THE USA

“When you are born and raised in the United States and you get to the quarter-final of a World Cup, and you are arguably the better team against a side like Germany, that was really the first time that we showed to many people around the world that we could play football.

“The accolades a lot of the players received in that time and the many, many years that a lot of us spent grafting and trying to carve out careers in Europe helped pave the way for a lot of players. So in a lot of different ways, both on and off the pitch, it was the finest hour for myself.

“The team we had in 2002 was arguably better than the USA team we had in this summer’s World Cup. But the MLS has grown so much and they have a much larger fan base so the team, which did very well at this last World Cup, got a lot more publicity than we did back in 2002.”

FAVOURITE MATCH – DERBY DAY

“It is impossible to pick a favourite performance but every time I have played in a local, big rivalry or a derby, every save – big or small – it felt good. So it was the best feelings when I was playing in Galatasaray against Fenerbahce, Tottenham against Arsenal, Villa against Birmingham, Liverpool against Everton or Manchester United, Blackburn against Burnley, and the USA against Mexico and got a good result.”

MOST DIFFICULT OPPONENT – SHEARER, HENRY, ZOLA & BERGKAMP

“There are too many to mention. But I would probably have to pick four in the Premier League; Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Gianfranco Zola and Dennis Bergkamp. They were all outstanding and I am leaving so many players out as well.”

MOST TALENTED TEAM-MATE – HAGI & BALE

“I played with Gheorghe Hagi at Galatasaray. But also Gareth Bale is not too bad! Luka Modric is an outstanding player and I have also played with Robbie Fowler, Paul Ince and Tugay. I have played with a lot of good players. I have played for many years so there are too many to give everyone a mention.”

FOOTBALL HERO – GROBBELAAR, CLEMENCE & PFAFF

“I did not get to watch a lot of football when I was growing up in the USA but the two teams who were on TV occasionally were Liverpool and Bayern Munich. So, as a goalkeeper, I watched Bayern Munich’s Jean-Marie Pfaff a lot. Also, Liverpool had Bruce Grobbelaar and Ray Clemence. They were the three I grew up watching. Whether they are sporting heroes, who knows, but they are definitely players who I had an eye on and they got me into goalkeeping.”

FOOTBALL HEARTBREAK – RED TAPE FRUSTRATION

“Football has broken my heart many times. It is heartbreaking when you lose a game against one of your rivals. But also I go back to history and it took me five years to get a work permit to play in England. Managers always thought the talent was okay but bureaucracy kept me out. Each time I got turned down for a work permit was a heartbreaking experience. But it spurred me on to keep trying and work harder. So, at the end of it all, I cannot complain.”