Sébastien Frey

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.

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.

Cannes

Frey began his career with French side AS Cannes in 1997, at the age of 17. On 20 September 1997, he made his professional league debut, playing as a starter in a 1–1 home draw against Rennes. At the end of the 1997–98 season, Frey made 24 league appearances and took Grégory Wimbée's starting goalkeeping spot in the first team.

Inter Milan

Following two promising seasons at Cannes, Frey began to attract attention from abroad, most noticeably from Inter Milan whom had been notified of his exceptional talents by former keeper Walter Zenga and Serie A rivals Juventus. Eventually, he opted to join Inter. At Inter in earlier season, he was the third goalkeeper behind Andrea Mazzantini and Gianluca Pagliuca until Mazzantini was sold to Perugia, making Frey as second choice goalkeeper. On 21 March 1999, Frey finally made his debut for the club against Genoa. Frey also made an appearance against Sampdoria when he was put on instead of Pagliuca at 70 minutes on the score (and final) 4–0. He ended the season with a total of seven league appearances for Nerazzurri.

Loan to Verona and return to Inter Milan

In the summer transfer window of 1999, Frey moved on loan to Verona, where he played thirty league appearances and helped the team in order to avoid relegation. The following year, he returned from loan to play for Inter, as the club sold Angelo Peruzzi for cash and Marco Ballotta. At Inter, Frey was recalled in view of his performance with Verona…

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.