Alexander Frei

Alexander Frei is a former professional forward who currently works as a sports director for a Swiss club FC Luzern. He was born on 15 July 1979 in Basel, Switzerland.

Alexander came up through the youth teams of FC Begnins and FC Aesch before joining the youth system of his hometown side FC Basel in 1995. In two years he was successfully promoted to the first team of the club where he made 11 appearances in the 1997/98 season. The next two seasons Frei spent at FC Thun and FC Luzern and in between 2001 and 2003 he played for Servette FC.

In 2003, Frei moved to France to join Stade Rennais in Ligue 1. He enjoyed a meteoric rise in the 2004/05 season with the French side as the Swiss player pulled off the season as the best Ligue 1 striker. Overall, he amasses 100 league appearances and 47 goals for Stade Rennais.

In 2006, Frei signed for Borussia Dortmund from the German Bundesliga. In his debut season with the club he established himself as the club’s top scorer with 16 goals in 32 games. All in all, the Swiss striker netted 34 goals in 74 appearances for a three-year stint at the German club.

In July 2009, Frei returned to his home town and joined FC Basel. He made his first appearance for Basel in a 2-1 victory over Sion where he notched the last-gasp winner. Frei ended the 2010/11 season as the Swiss League Top scorer with 27 goals in 35 league appearances. He was an instrumental player for Basel during the 2009/10 and 2011/12 seasons with the club as he helped his team to win the Double twice.

Alexander retired in April 2013 and started his new career as a sports director at FC Luzern.

Alexander Frei was a regular international for Switzerland since 2001 to 2011. For a ten year stint with the national team he scored 42 goals in 84 matches. He featured in the FIFA World Cup 2006 and UEFA Euro 2004 and 2008 matches.