- published: 02 Jul 2012
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Bradley Howard "Brad" Friedel (born May 18, 1971) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
He played 82 games for the United States national team between 1992 and 2005, and represented his country at three FIFA World Cup tournaments. He is the current holder of the Premier League record for most consecutive appearances with 304 (as of 10 March 2012), a feat he achieved during spells at Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur.
He is also officially Aston Villa's oldest ever player, a record he achieved on 1 February 2011 by playing in the club's Premier League fixture away at Manchester United. Friedel's age of 39 years and 259 days surpassed the previous record held by Ernie Callaghan who last played for Villa against Grimsby Town in April 1947, aged 39 years and 257 days. Friedel's last appearance for Villa was on 22 May 2011 in a 1–0 home win against Liverpool, aged 40 years and 4 days.
Born Bradman Friedel in Lakewood, Ohio, Friedel grew up in Bay Village, where he attended Westerly Elementary School, Bay Middle School and Bay High School. Growing up, Friedel played several sports, including soccer, basketball and tennis and excelled in all three. He earned Bay High's Outstanding Athlete of the Year award in 1989. As an All-State basketball player in Ohio, he was invited to try out as a walk-on for UCLA's basketball team in 1990. He began as a forward on his youth soccer team before moving into goal. Friedel graduated from Bay High in 1989. In 2007, he was inducted into the Bay High Hall of Fame.