Marco Friedl was born on 16 March 1998 in Strasswalchen, near Salzburg, Austria. He came through the youth system at Red Bull Salzburg before joining Bayern Munich — a significant step reflecting early recognition of his potential — where he was part of the youth and reserve structure before his professional career took shape elsewhere.
After Bayern, Friedl moved to Werder Bremen, where he established himself as a left-sided central defender or left back over multiple Bundesliga seasons. At Werder, including the period of the club's Bundesliga return after a spell in the second division, Friedl developed into a reliable and technically capable defender in the German top flight, with the composure on the ball and organisational qualities required in the modern game.
His career at Werder spanned the club's most important period of resurgence, and Friedl was a consistent contributor to their defensive reliability and left-sided defensive build-up play. His ability to operate as a left-sided centre-back in a three-man defence or as a left back in a four has given him flexibility valued by club managers.
For the Austrian national team, Friedl has been part of Ralf Rangnick's defensive options, contributing to the left side of Austrian defensive structures. He was part of the squad during the period that included Austria's Euro 2024 campaign, where the team reached the round of sixteen in what was one of Austria's most competitive European Championship performances.
Standing around 1.83 m, Friedl is a left-footed centre-back or left back whose technical quality in possession, press resistance and positional intelligence suit the modern defensive demands Austria's national team system places on its defenders. He is part of a productive generation of Austrian defenders that Rangnick has developed.