Those stellar performances attracted attention from the Bundesliga, and Friedrich signed with SV Werder Bremen, but his time there would be anything but successful as he only appeared once in the league in one and a half years combined, the final seven minutes of the 4–1 home triumph against Schalke 04 on 23 August 2003.

In July 2007, Friedrich moved to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, continuing to be an everpresent defensive unit and contributing – early in his first year – to consecutive home wins against Karlsruher SC (3–0) and VfL Bochum (2–0).

in Thailand,[5][6] Friedrich joined Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer on 20 November 2013, following injuries to fellow stoppers Mats Hummels and Neven Subotić.

[10] Peter Reid picked him for the inaugural season of Mumbai City, where he made his debut against Atlético de Kolkata and played 14 matches for the side, scoring one goal.

[12] He subsequently featured the full 90 minutes in the German team's opening two Euro 2008 qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland and San Marino, scoring his first international goal in the latter, the 12th in a 13–0 victory over the group underdogs.