David Friio
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Friio | ||
| Date of birth | 17 February 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Thionville, France | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1997 | Épinal | 104 | (5) |
| 1997–1999 | Nîmes | 48 | (2) |
| 1999–2000 | Valence | 33 | (3) |
| 2000–2005 | Plymouth Argyle | 167 | (39) |
| 2005–2006 | Nottingham Forest | 22 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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David Friio (born 17 January 1973) is a French former footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Thionville, he played in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle and Nottingham Forest, and Ligue 2 for Nîmes and Valence.
Friio began his career as a defender with local club Épinal in 1994. He made 104 league appearances for the club, scoring 5 goals, before he joined established Ligue 2 club Nîmes in 1997. In his two-years at the club he made 50 league appearances, scoring 2 goals, before being transferred to fellow Ligue 2 club Valence ahead of the 1999–2000 season, where he would first meet Romain Larrieu. He made 33 appearances in his one-year at the club, scoring 3 goals, as the club suffered relegation. Valence had to cut back and as a result released a number of players, Friio was included along with Larrieu.
He moved to England with Larrieu early on in the 2000–2001 season, where Plymouth Argyle manager Paul Sturrock offered them a trial. It was here that Friio would be converted from a defender into a box-to-box midfielder. He signed a contract until the end of the season in November and made his debut for the Pilgrims in the 2–0 Devon derby victory over Exeter City on 2 December. He figured consistently for the remainder of the season, scoring 5 goals, and signed a two-year contract extension in the summer of 2001. Friio went from strength to strength in the following season as he established himself as a key player, scoring 11 goals, as the club were crowned Third Division Champions. He was named in the division's Team of the Year by the PFA along with three of his team-mates, Larrieu, Paul Wotton, and Graham Coughlan.
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