Summary
Brad Friedel is one of the oldest players to have ever featured in a Premier League game.
An American international, Friedel played with a number of exceptional talents across his 20-year professional career.
In Friedel's team, most of the players selected played alongside him at Tottenham Hotspur.
Having now been retired for a decade, Brad Friedel’s name is one still remembered by many who watch the Premier League. The American goalkeeper set records in the twilight of his career, becoming the oldest-ever player to appear for both Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, but that is not all he should be remembered for.
Friedel was a reliable shot-stopper in England for years, one of the best to grace the Premier League. In fact, no player from either North or South America has made more appearances in the English top flight than Friedel, who played 450 games in the division for Villa, Spurs, Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool.
The goalkeeper began his career in 1995 with Brondby, embarking on a relatively nomadic few years to start his life as a player, representing them, Galatasaray, Columbus Crew and Liverpool between 1995 and 2000. In the latter of those years, he moved to Blackburn, finally finding consistency and spending eight seasons with the club before joining Aston Villa and eventually, Spurs in 2011.
An American international, Friedel shared the pitch with some exceptional names in his storied career. Back in 2022, the retired goalkeeper spoke to FourFourTwo and picked his perfect 11 of former teammates. So, which players did Friedel choose?
David James
Goalkeeper
A professional player for over 25 years, David James enjoyed a staggeringly long career that means he still ranks amongst the most-capped Premier League players of all time, despite having departed the league over a decade ago. Though he was prone to the occasional error, James is remembered as a very solid shot-stopper, one who won the FA Cup and League Cup in his career.
James played with Friedel at Liverpool, with the England international departing Anfield just one year before the American followed suit. It was for the Reds, across seven years, that James made the most appearances in his time as a player. Despite James’ departure, Friedel remained the back-up choice on Merseyside as Liverpool elected to sign Sander Westerveld.
“Jamo had everything – in some training sessions, nobody could score past him. He was so big, strong and agile. Athletic, too. We weren’t the closest team-mates at Liverpool, but I always had a tremendous amount of respect for his ability and talent.”
Kyle Walker
Right-Back
Now on loan at AC Milan, it feels safe to say that the Manchester City chapter of Kyle Walker’s career has come to a close, but what a chapter it was. The England international won everything on offer with City, including being part of only the second English team in history to win a European treble.
Prior to his 2017 move to Manchester, Walker plied his trade in North London with Tottenham Hotspur, where he truly established himself as a player. It was also here that he played, predominantly, with Friedel, though as the American said, they had been teammates prior to that.
“I was at Aston Villa when he came on loan, then I played at Tottenham with him for four years. Kyle was an exceptionally explosive right-back and a really good team-mate. He was so quick that it didn’t matter if he made a mistake, because he could always correct it with his pace. He’s had some incredible coaching from Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola, and now he’s positionally superb.”
Ledley King
Centre Back
A one-club man, many wonder what could have been were it not for the injuries that Ledley King suffered across his career. Even with those setbacks, however, the Spurs icon carved out an indelible legacy for himself amongst the Lilywhites supporters, having spent his entire 13-year career at White Hart Lane.
At the time of writing, King is the most recent Spurs captain to have lifted silverware, winning the League Cup in 2008. Such were his injury problems that towards the end of his career, King would train on his own rather than with the team and in spite of that, remained one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
“He hardly ever trained because of his knee – I never knew how a player could do that and just fit in seamlessly. I’ve never known a captain as quiet, but Ledley commanded everyone’s respect. Positionally, he was the best I played behind. Very rarely did I scan the field and tell him where anyone was.”
Eddie Pope
Centre Back
The only American international to feature in Friedel’s team, Eddie Pope spent his entire professional career in his home country, predominantly with DC United, for whom he made well over 100 appearances. A defender, Pope won three MLS Cups and two Supporters’ Shields across six years with the Eagles.
Pope appeared in over 80 matches for his country, starting on every single occasion. It was on international duty where Friedel played alongside him, featuring together at the 1998 World Cup and more notably, the 2002 edition of the tournament, when the United States reached the quarter-finals.
“Another quiet leader – him and Ledley could have played next to each other, at any level, at any club in the world. Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen were both interested, but Eddie felt more comfortable staying in the US. On the international scene, he shut down some of the best attackers in the world.”
Jan Vertonghen
Left-Back
Vertonghen was a crucial part of the Mauricio Pochettino side that came so close to breaking Tottenham’s trophy duck, putting in consistently brilliant performances at centre-back. The Belgian international could play at left-back when needed but as noted by Friedel himself, it was hardly Vertonghen’s preference.
“Jan hated playing left-back with a passion, but he was just too good to be left out! Excellent as a centre-back, his true position, and was a very good passer. He was just one of those players who could slide into any top club and not be out of place.”
Paul Ince
Midfielder
Best remembered for his time with Manchester United between 1989 and 1995, Paul Ince was a tenacious midfielder who enjoyed a 20-year career. In the infancy of Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure at the club, Ince was a key player who helped the Red Devils lift two Premier League titles before joining Inter Milan after falling out with his manager.
Ince spent just two years in Italy, returning to England in 1997 when he signed for Liverpool, becoming one of a select few to have represented both the Reds and Man United, who share a fierce rivalry. It was during Ince’s stint at Anfield that Friedel played alongside him, with both departing the club in 1999.
“Incey was a very, very good footballer – he could play one-twos in tight areas or score goals – but he could also mix it up physically. If you needed him to kill someone, then he could do it. As a leader, he tried to instil fear in other players or be very vocal. When the big games came along, there were very few better than him.”
Tugay
Midfielder
Known in England only by his first name, Tugay spent over a decade of his career in his native Turkey with Galatasaray, winning the league six times between 1987 and 1999, joining Rangers in the latter of those two years. Tugay departed Glasgow after less than two full seasons in 2001, moving to Blackburn Rovers to join former Galatasaray manager Graeme Souness at Ewood Park.
Tugay moved to Blackburn the year after Friedel himself arrived there from Liverpool, though the two first met during Friedel’s own brief stint at Galatasaray in the 1995/96 season. Despite being in his early 30s at the time of the move, the Turkish international would spend eight years with Rovers, racking up well over 200 appearances for the club before retiring from football in 2009.
“Only Tugay could tell you why he didn’t play for a club like Barcelona. A truly magnificent player, with one of the best touches in world football. He had a great strike, and when I played with him at Galatasaray, an engine on him, too. He chose to stay at Blackburn for a long time and the fans loved him – still do – but he could have played anywhere.”
Luka Modric
Attacking Midfielder
Still going strong at nearly 40 years of age, Luka Modric has only gotten better during his time at Real Madrid. So much so, that it can be easy to forget that the Croatian was almost 27 when he joined the club, an age where most players are in, or entering, their prime. In the 13 years since, Modric has won countless honours with Madrid, including a Ballon d’Or.
A leading light in a golden age of Croatian international football, Modric has made over 400 appearances for Los Blancos in all competitions, being one of only a select few to reach such a number. Friedel spent just a season with Modric at Spurs, who joined Madrid the year after the American’s arrival. Even in that brief time, however, Friedel came to know the quality that Modric possessed.
“He’s still one of the best midfielders in the game, and he was when we were at Spurs. He’s not a tough tackler, but he’ll have the ball anywhere, any place, any time and can dictate a game’s tempo. Luka has no issue being a star, as he’s shown at Real Madrid.”
Gareth Bale
Right Winger
Retired since 2023, Gareth Bale is undoubtedly one of the best Brits to have played abroad, the Welshman having spent the bulk of his career with Real Madrid who signed him for a then-world record fee in 2013. With Madrid, Bale won three La Liga titles and more notably, five Champions Leagues, three of which were consecutive between 2016 and 2018.
Bale began his career with Southampton, but it was at Tottenham Hotspur where the world started to take notice of him. Former manager Harry Redknapp, realising there was a superior attacking quality to the Welshman’s game, moved him from full-back to the wing. From there, Bale never looked back, with Friedel seeing some of his development into one of his generation’s greatest wingers in person.
“He’s so big, fast, strong, powerful – at one stage during his time at Real Madrid, there was really only Messi and Ronaldo who were better than him. A truly remarkable physical specimen. When Gareth’s fit, he can run by anybody with the ball and create things that other players couldn’t even imagine doing.”
Gheorghe Hagi
Left Winger
The time shared between Gheorghe Hagi and Friedel was brief, coming at entirely different stages of each player’s career. The pair were, for a short time, teammates at Galatasaray, with Hagi joining the club in the same year of Friedel’s departure. Hagi, who had represented both Real Madrid and Barcelona outside of his native Romania, would not play for another club.
A legend of the Romanian international side, Hagi spent the final five years of his career in the Super Lig, winning the league four times along with a UEFA Cup, which is now known as the Europa League.
“The best I ever played with. Even coming to the end of his career at Galatasaray, he was only a notch below someone like Diego Maradona. You only needed a week with him in training to see his class.”
Harry Kane
Striker
After so many years of seeking a trophy, it looks like Harry Kane will finally acquire a piece of major silverware by the conclusion of the 2024/25 season with Bayern Munich, who he joined in 2023. Prior to that, Kane had established himself as one of the best strikers in the world at Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite Spurs’ lack of a trophy during Kane’s time at the club, he did more than enough to ensure he would be remembered in the Premier League. Kane is Spurs’ all-time top scorer and became one of the top flight’s most lethal strikers. Friedel, who retired in North London, saw first-hand what Kane was capable of, even as a youngster.
“I was doing my coaching badges while I was at Tottenham, and Harry was training with the first team. Even as a young kid, his shots were so difficult to save. I told the academy director John McDermott that his strikes had whip like Robbie Fowler and power like Alan Shearer. John just looked at me like I had five heads!”
Mauricio Pochettino
Manager
In the dugout, Friedel elected for the last manager to have worked with him as a player; Mauricio Pochettino, who managed Spurs between 2014 and 2019. Pochettino, in fact, only coached Friedel for one of the 20 seasons he played as a professional and such was his impact, that the American named him to manage his perfect 11.
“His attention to detail was second to none. He’s a compassionate man, but passionate for the game, too. Poch was very, very smart and he ran the club like no other I’ve been around.”
