Aston Villa and former US goalkeeper Brad Friedel has been declared bankrupt at a court hearing in Macclesfield. How is it possible to go bankrupt when you earn £40,000 a week? It was nothing to do with high living. Friedel put a large amount of his fortune into a soccer academy he set up under his name in Ohio.
Aston Villa and former US goalkeeper Brad Friedel has been declared bankrupt at a court hearing in Macclesfield. How is it possible to go bankrupt when you earn £40,000 a week? It was nothing to do with high living. Friedel put a large amount of his fortune into a soccer academy he set up under his name in Ohio.
It was meant to be a non-profit-making venture, but it lost money heavily. Sponsors dropped out and it was difficult to find enough trainees to pay annual fees of £20,000. Debts of £5m were run up and the lenders who financed it wanted their money back. A house belonging to Friedel in Ohio has already been repossessed (in England he lives in a mansion in Cheshire).
The 39-year old is out of contract at Villa in the summer, when he may be let go, and although keepers can go on longer than most players, he will not be able to secure such high earnings in future. I’ve always been a fan of good keepers, even if they are a little bit crazy in the nicest possible way. Friedel hopes to be discharged from bankruptcy soon and I hope it all works out for him. Top keepers don’t earn as much as top strikers and he tried to use his money to help young players.