| Name |
Arne Friedrich |
| Height |
6 ft 1 in |
| Naionality |
German |
| Date of Birth |
29-May-1979 |
| Place of Birth |
Bad Oeynhausen, West Germany |
| Famous for |
Football Player |
Arne Friedrich is a German football defender, who plays for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer. He played 82 times for the German national team. He is a very versatile player, playing full back, center back, and occasionally a midfield position. As of October 2011, Friedrich has represented his country on 82 occasions, scoring once.
He participated in Euro 2004, World Cup 2006, Euro 2008 and the World Cup 2010. As announced on 21 January 2013 Friedrich has become a US permanent resident which allows him to no longer occupy an international slot while playing for the Major League Soccer clubs. Friedrich played a total of five games for the German U-21 team, and once for the B-team known as "Team 2006". On 21 August 2002, Friedrich made his debut for the senior team against Bulgaria with in a 2–2 draw in Sofia. His first major tournament for the national team was Euro 2004 where he appeared in all three group matches that saw the German team was eliminated. On 21 December 2004, Friedrich captained Germany in a 5–1 friendly win over Thailand in Bangkok. He has captained the team three more time since. In 2005, Germany took part in the Confederations Cup, as upcoming World Cup hosts. Friedrich took turns with Andreas Hinkel on the right wing back position. The following year, he was part of the 23-man squad for the 2006 World Cup.
Except the match for third place, which he missed due to an injury, Friedrich started all of Germany's games. At Euro 2008, Friedrich was once again part of the German team, but was initially intended as a substitute. Following an injury to Marcell Jansen, he started the final group game and all three knock-out stage matches. The quarter-final was one of Friedrich's best international matches where he successfully shut down Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. In March 2009, German coach Joachim Löw explained that he now planned Friedrich as a centre back instead of the right wing back position.
