Sébastien Frey

Fiorentina

Frey joined Fiorentina on loan for the 2005–06 campaign, and signed a permanent deal with the club for €6 million (€5.6M went to Parma) at the end of the year following a glittering season where he formed the backbone of the team along with Cristian Brocchi, Stefano Fiore, and Luca Toni. After a positive first half of the season for him and his team, on 10 January 2006, during a match in the Coppa Italia against Juventus, he received a blow after a conflict with Marcelo Zalayeta.

Due to the clash, Frey received blunt trauma to the tibia, which ruled him out of the starting line-up for several months, forcing the club's sporting director Pantaleo Corvino to hire a replacement, which turned out to be Romanian keeper Bogdan Lobonț.

On 15 May 2006, the Florentine officials announced the outright purchase of Frey, buying him for an amount equal to €6 million. In the new season Frey regained his starting spot in goal, after an initial physiological problems due to long stop regains fitness.

On 13 December 2007, Frey suffered a meniscus injury during training, and underwent knee surgery the next day. He returned for Fiorentina's 2–1 victory over Parma on 13 January 2008, after being sidelined for one month, and his outstanding play was rewarded with a contract extension. Fiorentina reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup that season.

In the 2008–09 Serie A season, Frey conceded less than a goal per game, conceding only thirty-one goals in thirty-eight matches.

On 2 November 2010, Frey injured his knee during training, suffering an Anterior cruciate ligament injury, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

Genoa In 2011, Frey joined Genoa on a five-year deal on a free transfer after falling out of favour with Fiorentina and being replaced by the newly signed Artur Boruc, who had joined the club from Celtic the previous season. The move turned out to be a failure as Genoa was moving backwards and was ever present in the relegation zone. Frey left after 2 years and was replaced by Mattia Perin. Before joining Genoa, Frey revealed talks with French spenders PSG during the summer transfer window, but the capital side eventually acquired Palermo goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu instead. Frey also revealed that German side Bayern Munich was keen to sign him in the past.

Bursaspor quote="...It was a great honor to have the opportunity to play at Bursaspor and meet the great fans. The experience I had in Bursa and Turkey will always stay with me and I'll remember it with great joy and pleasure.. " — —Frey's partial Instagram message. After he failed to make an appearance during 2014–15 season, his contract was mutually terminated on 9 July 2015, and Frey subsequently retired from professional football. He confirmed his farewell from the club with an Instagram message on 15 July 2015, stating his gratefulness for his spell at club.

International career Frey received his first call-up for France for a match against Poland in November 2004, but did not make an appearance. He earned his first cap in France's final UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Ukraine on 21 November 2007. The match ended in a 2–2 draw after he erred on Andriy Shevchenko's equalising goal. He was a member of France's Euro 2008 finals squad. On 20 August 2008, Frey announced his retirement from international football at the age of 28 to focus on his club career.

Style of play Recognized for his leadership, composure, and consistent performances, Frey was considered one of the standout goalkeepers in Serie A during his era. Renowned for his dynamic and agile playing style, he was celebrated for his acrobatic shot-stopping and strong aerial skills. His exceptional reactions, positional awareness, speed, and proficiency in one-on-one scenarios made him particularly notable. However, he was less adept at leaving the goal line to intercept crosses and excelled more when positioned between the posts. Having started as an outfield player in his youth, Frey also demonstrated dependable ball handling and distribution with his feet.

Personal life Frey's grandfather, André, was a French international footballer, and his father, Raymond, was also a professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His younger brother, Nicolas, played as a defensive midfielder for Serie A team Chievo. Frey is a Buddhist (Soka Gakkai), and credited former Fiorentina legend Roberto Baggio as one of his spiritual mentors.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Parma Coppa Italia: 2001–02

Individual Guerin d'Oro: 2000 ACF Fiorentina Hall of Fame: 2022