Nicolas Frey


Nicolas Sébastien Frey is a French professional footballer who plays as either a right back or a central defender in Italy for Chievo.

Football career

Born in Thonon-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, Frey played exclusively at amateur level in his country, joining AS Cannes' youth system at the age of 10 and appearing in two seasons for its reserves as a senior. In 2004, aged 20, he moved to Italy with A.C. Legnano, in Serie C.
After one year, Frey signed for Serie B club Modena FC, being an important first-team member during his spell and appearing in 62 league games in his last two years combined. In the summer of 2008, he joined A.C. ChievoVerona in a co-ownership deal along with Angelo Antonazzo, in exchange for Salvatore Bruno and Michele Troiano; he made his Serie A debut on 5 October 2008 in a 0–2 home loss against ACF Fiorentina, and finished his debut campaign with 21 league games as the Verona side retained their division status.
On 17 July 2009, Chievo signed Frey on a permanent basis. During his spell with the club, he often shared right-back duties with Gennaro Sardo.
Frey returned to the second division on 31 January 2018, with the 33-year-old being loaned to Venezia FC.
After initially leaving Chievo at the end of the 2018–19 season, he rejoined the team on a one-year contract on 6 September 2019.

Personal life

Frey's older brother, Sébastien, was also a footballer. A goalkeeper, he too was brought up at Cannes, and also played most of his career in Italy, mainly with Parma F.C. and Fiorentina.
His father, Raymond, was a professional goalkeeper, while his grandfather André was a defender who played several years with Toulouse FC, reaching the France national team as Sébastien.