Alexander Frei facts for kids
Frei with Borussia Dortmund in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Frei | ||
| Date of birth | 15 July 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Basel, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1987–1988 | FC Begnins | ||
| 1988–1995 | FC Aesch | ||
| 1995–1997 | Basel | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1998 | Basel | 11 | (1) |
| 1998–1999 | Thun | 32 | (6) |
| 1999–2000 | FC Luzern | 53 | (17) |
| 2001–2003 | Servette | 64 | (36) |
| 2003–2006 | Rennes | 100 | (47) |
| 2006–2009 | Borussia Dortmund | 74 | (34) |
| 2009–2013 | Basel | 103 | (72) |
| Total | 437 | (213) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995–1996 | Switzerland U-18 | 5 | (1) |
| 1996–1997 | Switzerland U-19 | 4 | (3) |
| 1999–2000 | Switzerland U-21 | 19 | (9) |
| 2001–2011 | Switzerland | 84 | (42) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2013–2014 | FC Luzern (sporting director) | ||
| 2015–2020 | Basel (youth) | ||
| 2018 | Basel (interim) | ||
| 2020–2021 | Wil | ||
| 2021–2022 | Winterthur | ||
| 2022–2023 | Basel | ||
| 2023–2024 | Aarau | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alexander Frei, also known as Alex Frei, was born on 15 July 1979. He is a Swiss professional football coach and a former player. He played as a forward, which means he was a goal scorer. Most recently, he was the head coach for FC Aarau in the Swiss Challenge League. This is the second-highest football league in Switzerland.
Alex Frei started his football journey at his hometown club, FC Basel. He then played for several other clubs in Switzerland, France, and Germany. Later, he returned to FC Basel. There, he helped his team win the Swiss Super League title four times in a row. He also won the Swiss Cup twice with Basel, achieving a "Double" (winning both the league and cup) in 2010 and 2012.
Frei is a legend for the Switzerland national football team. He is their all-time top scorer with 42 goals in 84 games. He proudly represented Switzerland in two UEFA European Championships and two World Cup tournaments.
Contents
Alex Frei's Club Career
Alex Frei began his professional career at FC Basel. He then moved to other Swiss clubs like FC Thun, FC Luzern, and Servette FC. After playing in Switzerland, he transferred to the French club Rennes.
Top Scorer in France
During the 2004–05 season, Frei was the top goal-scorer in France's top league, Ligue 1. He scored an impressive 20 goals that season. Because of his great performance, he was named Swiss Footballer of the Year. He also received this award in 2004 and 2007.
Time at Borussia Dortmund
On 29 June 2006, Frei signed a four-year contract with Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Dortmund paid about €5 million to bring him to their team. In the 2006–07 season, Frei was Dortmund's best goal scorer. He netted 16 goals in 32 matches.
He faced a long-term injury during the 2007–08 season. However, he made a strong comeback, scoring six goals in his last eight games for Dortmund. In the 2008–09 season, he scored two goals against Schalke 04 in an exciting match.
Return to FC Basel
On 17 July 2009, Alex Frei left Borussia Dortmund and returned to his home club, FC Basel. He had played 74 league matches for Dortmund. His first game back with Basel was on 26 July 2009, a 2–1 win against FC Sion. He provided an assist and scored the winning goal in the last minute of the match.
During the 2009–10 season, he scored 15 goals in 19 league games. FC Basel won both the league and the Swiss Cup that year. In the 2010–11 season, he scored 27 goals in 35 league games. This made him the top goal scorer in the Swiss League.
At the end of the 2011–12 season, Frei won his second "Double" with Basel. They won the League Championship title and the Swiss Cup.
Final Season and Retirement
In the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, Basel reached the semi-finals. They played against Chelsea, who were the champions of the UEFA Champions League. Basel was knocked out after losing 2–5 on aggregate. Frei's last game in this competition was when Basel beat Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals. They won 4–1 on penalties after a 4–4 tie.
Alex Frei played his last professional match on 14 April 2013. It was a home game at St. Jakob-Park where Basel beat Zürich 3–1. He was the team captain for this special game. He also scored his final goal, a free kick from about 25 meters away. He left the field about ten minutes later to a huge cheer from the fans. At the end of the 2012–13 Swiss Super League season, Frei received his fourth championship medal.
Between 1997 and 1998, and again from 2009 to 2013, Frei played 217 games for Basel. He scored 148 goals in total. He won four league championships and two cup titles with the club.
Alex Frei's International Career
Alex Frei played for Switzerland at different youth levels. He represented the Under-18s, Under-19s, and Under-21s teams. His first game for the Swiss Under-18s was in October 1995. He made his Under-21 debut in September 1999.
Playing for the Senior National Team
Frei played his first game for the senior Swiss national team on 24 March 2001. He came on as a substitute in a World Cup qualification match. Four days later, he scored his first three goals for the national team. This happened in a 5–0 home win against Luxembourg.
He played for Switzerland at Euro 2004. He scored six goals during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. This included a penalty in a play-off game against Turkey. Switzerland won that match and qualified for the World Cup.
At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Frei was named "Man of the Match" in Switzerland's 2–0 win over Togo. He scored the first goal in that game. He also scored in the next game against South Korea. This helped Switzerland win their group and move forward in the tournament.
On 30 May 2008, Frei scored two goals in a friendly match against Liechtenstein. This made him the all-time leading scorer for the Switzerland national team. He passed the previous record held by Kubilay Türkyilmaz. Unfortunately, he got injured in the first match of UEFA Euro 2008 and missed the rest of the tournament. He had surgery for a torn knee ligament.
On 5 April 2011, Alex Frei decided to retire from the national team. He had been criticized after a draw in a Euro 2012 qualifying match.
Alex Frei's Career After Playing
Becoming a Sports Director
After ending his playing career, Alex Frei became the new sports director for FC Luzern. This was announced in March 2013.
Coaching Career
Frei also took on coaching roles. He was an interim manager for FC Basel in 2018. In September 2020, he became the head coach of FC Wil 1900. He left this position in November 2021. In December, he signed on as head coach for FC Winterthur. He successfully led Winterthur to promotion to the Super League.
After this success, his former club, FC Basel, hired him as their new head coach. Frei and Basel parted ways on 7 February 2023. The team was in seventh place in the league at that time. On 12 June 2023, he was announced as the new head coach of FC Aarau. He left Aarau on 25 March 2024, by agreement with the club, to take a break from coaching.
Alex Frei's Personal Life
Alexander Frei is not related to his former teammate Fabian Frei. However, he is the second-cousin of Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei. His younger sister, Andrea, also plays football for the Basel ladies team. Alex is married to Nina, and they have a daughter who was born in 2012.
Images for kids
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Frei with Borussia Dortmund in 2007
See also
In Spanish: Alexander Frei para niños
