Former Players: A Premiere for Alexander Frei!

Two weeks after he played his first ever Champions League game in Cluj (2-1), Alexander Frei scored his first ever goal in the competition, this Tuesday against Bayern Munich (1-2). At the reception of a delivery by Marco Streller, Frei gave the first advantage to his team after fifteen minutes, lodging the ball in Hans-Jorg Butt’s goal top-corner.

At the Stade Rennais, the Swiss striker had left a massive mark, scoring 52 goals in 117 games, all competitions included. After his four goals against Fabien Barthez’ Olympique Marseille, on March 21st 2004, Frei revealed himself by his goal scoring ability, finishing the League as top goal-scorer in the 2004-2005 season. An award only Walter Kaiser (1932-1933, 22 goals), Jean Grumellon (1949-1950, 29 goals) and Stéphane Guivarc’h (1996-1997, 22 goals) had been able to win under the “Rouge et Noir” shirt before him.

Struggling with recurrent injuries for his last months in Rennes, he then signed for Borussia Dortmund in June 2006. A winner of the German Supercup with the Ruhr-based team, Frei has since returned to his country of birth and Basel, where he had already played in 1996 and 1997.