Biography
Who is Alexander Frei?
Professional football playing career
Alexander Frei began his professional career with his hometown club, FC Basel. Throughout his career, he played for several clubs in Switzerland, France, and Germany, including FC Thun, FC Luzern, Servette FC, Stade Rennais F.C., and Borussia Dortmund. During his time with the French club Rennes, he finished as the top goal-scorer in Ligue 1 for the 2004-05 season with 20 goals. He later signed with Borussia Dortmund in 2006 for a transfer fee of approximately 5 million euros, where he played for three seasons and became the team's top scorer during the 2006-07 season.
In July 2009, he returned to Switzerland to rejoin FC Basel. During his second stint with the club, he helped them win the Swiss Super League title four times. He also secured two Swiss Cup titles with the team. He retired from professional football in April 2013 after a match against Zürich. Over his two periods with Basel, he played 217 games and scored 148 goals across various competitions, including the Swiss Super League and European tournaments.
International football career
Alexander Frei represented Switzerland at various youth levels before making his debut for the senior national team on 24 March 2001 against FR Yugoslavia. He scored his first three international goals four days later in a victory against Luxembourg. He played for his country at two UEFA European Championships and two World Cups. His goal-scoring record for the national team stands at 42 goals in 84 matches, making him the highest scorer in the team's history.
His international career involved well-known moments and challenges. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he scored against Togo and South Korea to help Switzerland reach the next round as group winners. In 2008, he surpassed the previous Swiss national team goal-scoring record held by Kubilay Türkyilmaz. However, he faced injuries during major tournaments, including a knee injury at UEFA Euro 2008. He eventually stepped down from international duty in April 2011.
Coaching and management roles
After ending his playing career, Alexander Frei moved into football management. He served as the sports director for FC Luzern starting in 2013. He later took on various coaching positions, including interim manager at FC Basel in 2018. In September 2020, he became the head coach of FC Wil 1900 and later managed FC Winterthur, where he led the team to promotion to the Super League.
He returned to FC Basel as head coach but left the position in February 2023. Later that year, he was appointed head coach of FC Aarau in the Swiss Challenge League. He departed from this role in March 2024 by mutual consent. Throughout his coaching career, he has worked across different tiers of the Swiss football league system.
Personal life and family
Alexander Frei was born in Basel, Switzerland. He is married to Nina, and the couple has a daughter born in 2012. His younger sister, Andrea, plays football for the Basel ladies team. While he shares a surname with fellow player Fabian Frei, they are not related. However, he is the second-cousin of goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who played for the Seattle Sounders FC.
Birthday and age
Alexander Frei was born on July 15, 1979, which makes Alexander 47 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Alexander shares the date with 60 other famous people.
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