Frei on his time as FCL sporting director "Doing everything on my own broke me"

Striker, sporting director, coach - Alex Frei has seen a lot in football and now wants to prove himself in other areas too. In the talk show "Lässer", he explains what distinguishes the Alex Frei of today from the Alex Frei of the past.

As a player, Alex Frei played for Lucerne, Servette, Stade Rennes, Borussia Dortmund and FC Basel, among others. He then tried his hand as head of sport at FC Lucerne before moving to the touchline and gaining his first coaching experience at Basel, Wil, Winterthur and Aarau.

However, Frei has not been active in the football business since his contract with Aarau was terminated in March of this year. In the talk show "Lässer", the 45-year-old takes a deep look, talks about goals outside of football and makes it clear that he ticks differently today than he did as an active player.

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Alex Frei on ...

... his new freedom in everyday life

"I'm enjoying a lot of freedom at the moment and I'm not being dictated to by training or match schedules. (...) I am fully aware that this is not the norm. That's what I've been doing left and right for 25 years. Of course I enjoyed it immensely. I have the feeling that I was called to it. Football has defined a third of my life."

... his mistakes as FCL sports director

"The job was actually a lot of fun. But I made two or three mistakes. Today I would have positioned myself a little differently. I should have gotten more help so that certain things were taken off your hands. I answered all the emails myself or looked at all the players myself. Back then, there was no scouting department at FCL. In the meantime, these jobs have all been divided up. I did a lot of things on my own. And that broke me at some point."

... a possible return to the football business

"It could be, but not today or tomorrow. Because I don't miss it. I'm already involved in football. But it's good to watch matches without having to think about anything. As a fan, I can watch football matches without pressure."

... his future goals

"I want to go against the cliché: A lot in the calf, nothing in the brain. That's not the case. I can understand why people sometimes think that. There are enough examples left and right who walk around like that to make you think that. But I also want to prove to myself that I can build something without it always having to do with football."

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... the Alex Frei of today

"Something completely different from when he was a player. (...) The way I am today is the original. The other one (the footballer) is an actor. That's how I would see it today. Outwardly, a lot of it was acting, but consciously. Sometimes I said things because I knew what the reaction would be. I said a lot of things out of loyalty, so that it would come back to me and to protect others. They are all grateful, but nobody stands up and says: Merci vielmal."

... his quarrelsomeness

"I no longer want to deal with people who drain my energy. I'm no longer quarrelsome like I used to be. That's not to say that I always compromise or don't want to have controversial discussions. But I am now a little tired of arguing - always aware of the consequences. So don't worry: I won't become a lamb in the blue Sport studio."

The whole show in the video