Paul Freier

Paul Freier
Freier playing for Leverkusen in 2008
Personal information
Full name Slawomir Paul Freier
Date of birth (1979-07-26) 26 July 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth Bytom, Poland
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Rot-Weiss Essen (assistant)
Youth career
1984–1990 ŁTS Łabędy
1990–1993 SV Holzen
1993–1996 BSV Menden
1996–1998 VfL Bochum
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2001 VfL Bochum II 68 (19)
1999–2004 VfL Bochum 117 (16)
2004–2008 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 112 (17)
2008–2014 VfL Bochum 149 (18)
2009–2011 → VfL Bochum II 5 (0)
Total 451 (60)
International career
2000–2001 Germany U21 13 (2)
2002–2007 Germany 19 (1)
Managerial career
2015 VfL Bochum U16 (assistant)
2015–2016 VfL Bochum U19 (assistant)
2016–2017 FC Iserlohn U19 (assistant)
2017–2018 Schalke 04 U19 (assistant)
2018–2019 VfL Bochum U16
2019–2021 FC Iserlohn U17 (assistant)
2021–2022 SV Lippstadt U17
2022–2023 Fortuna Düsseldorf II (assistant)
2023– Rot-Weiss Essen (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Slawomir Paul Freier (Polish: Sławomir Paweł Freier; born 26 July 1979) is a German football coach and former player who was usually employed as a midfielder.[1][2] He is currently the assistant manager of Rot-Weiss Essen.[3]

Biography

Childhood and youth

Freier was born in 1979 in the Upper Silesian city of Bytom (German: Beuthen). At the age of 5, he joined the club ŁTS Łabędy in Gliwice, Poland. At age 11, Freier emigrated with his parents from Upper Silesia to Germany, where the family settled in Arnsberg-Holzen in North Rhine-Westphalia.[4] Newly arrived there, he joined SV Holzen and three years later moved to BSV Menden. In his youth, Freier received an offer from Borussia Dortmund, but his father refused a move to Dortmund.[citation needed] In 1996, Freier joined the youth team of VfL Bochum.

First spell at Bochum

In 1998, Freier was part of Bochum's second team, and on 5 November 1999, he made his professional debut for the first team in a 2–0 win against SV Waldhof Mannheim on matchday eleven of the 1999–2000 2. Bundesliga campaign. In the 89th minute, he replaced Delron Buckley.[5] With Bochum, Freier celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga. On 12 August 2000, he made his debut in the Bundesliga in a 1–0 win on first matchday against 1. FC Kaiserslautern.[6] On 28 April 2001, 31st match day, Freier scored his first goal in the Bundesliga in the 1–1 draw in the derby against FC Schalke 04.[7] At the end of the season, he had made 22 appearances and scored one goal and VfL Bochum was relegated from the Bundesliga.[8] In the 2001–02 season, Freier made 30 appearances scoring seven goals and was promoted again with the VfL Bochum to the Bundesliga.[9] In the next season, Bochum reached the ninth place with Freier making 32 appearances and scoring seven goals.[10] In the 2003–04 season, he played in 27 games and scored one goal.[11] This season, VfL Bochum placed in the final standings in front of their local rivals from Gelsenkirchen, FC Schalke and Borussia Dortmund (Schalke being a district of Gelsenkirchen).

Spell at Bayer Leverkusen

In four seasons at Bayer Leverkusen between 2004 and 2008, Freier amassed 17 goals in 112 league matches.[12]

Return to VfL Bochum and retirement

Freier returned to VfL Bochum at the end of the 2007–08 season, signing a five-year contract.[13]

Post-retirement

Six months after retiring as a player, Freier was hired as assistant coach for the U16 team of VfL Bochum.[14]

On 8 June 2015, it was confirmed that Freier was the new assistant manager of the U19 team of Bochum.[15]

International

Freier was a member of the German national team, winning 19 caps.[16] He was initially named in Germany's UEFA Euro 2004 squad but had to withdraw through injury.[17] He was called up as a backup squad member for the 2006 World Cup. His only goal for Germany came in a 4–1 win over Canada in June 2003.[18]

Statistics

As of 16 May 2014[1][2]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Germany League DFB-Pokal DFB-Ligapokal Europe Other1 Total
1997–98 VfL Bochum II Oberliga Westfalen 4 1 — — — — 4 1
1998–99 26 6 — — — — 26 6
1999–00 Regionalliga West/Südwest 35 11 — — — — 35 11
2000–01 Oberliga Westfalen 3 1 — — — — 3 1
1999–00 VfL Bochum 2. Bundesliga 6 0 0 0 — — — 6 0
2000–01 Bundesliga 22 1 3 0 — — — 25 1
2001–02 2. Bundesliga 30 7 1 1 — — — 31 8
2002–03 Bundesliga 32 7 4 3 — — — 36 10
2003–04 27 1 1 0 1 0 — — 29 1
2004–05 Bayer Leverkusen 33 6 2 0 2 1 9 0 — 46 7
2005–06 29 6 2 0 0 0 1 0 — 32 6
2006–07 31 3 2 1 1 0 11 0 — 45 4
2007–08 19 2 0 0 — 6 1 — 25 3
2008–09 VfL Bochum 28 1 1 0 — — — 29 1
2009–10 28 2 2 0 — — — 30 2
2010–11 2. Bundesliga 18 2 1 0 — — 2 0 21 2
2011–12 27 2 2 1 — — — 29 3
2012–13 21 1 2 0 — — — 23 1
2013–14 27 0 2 0 — — — 29 0
2008–09 VfL Bochum II Regionalliga West 2 0 — — — — 2 0
2009–10 2 0 — — — — 2 0
2010–11 1 0 — — — — 1 0
Total Germany 451 60 25 6 4 1 27 1 2 0 509 68
Career total 451 60 25 6 4 1 27 1 2 0 509 68

1 2010–11 includes the 2. Bundesliga/Bundesliga promotion/relegation playoffs.

References

  1. ^ a b "Paul Freier" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Freier, Paul" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Paul Freier" (in German). Rot-Weiss Essen. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  4. ^ Sellmann, Hartwig (26 June 2012). "Paul Freier vom VfL Bochum – Eine Karriere mit Höhen und Tiefen". WAZ (in German). Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  5. ^ "SPIELBERICHT". kicker online (in German). 5 November 1999. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  6. ^ "Überraschung auf dem Betzenberg". kicker online (in German). 12 August 2000. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  7. ^ "SPIELBERICHT". kicker online (in German). Olympia Verlag GmbH. 28 April 2001. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Paul Freier". kicker online (in German). Olympia Verlag GmbH. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Paul Freier". kicker online (in German). Olympia Verlag GmbH. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Paul Freier". kicker online (in German). Olympia Verlag GmbH. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Paul Freier". kicker online (in German). Olympia Verlag GmbH. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  12. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (17 March 2016). "Sławomir Paul Freier - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  13. ^ "Freier leaves Leverkusen". Bundesliga.de. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
  14. ^ "Freier startet Trainerkarriere" (in German). sport1.de. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  15. ^ "osz nicht mehr U19-Trainer / Reis übernimmt" (in German). reviersport.de. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  16. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (17 March 2016). "Sławomir Paul Freier - International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  17. ^ "Freier out of Euro 2004". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 29 May 2004. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  18. ^ "Germany topples Canada in men's soccer friendly". cbc.ca. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 18 December 2015.