Quick Facts
Biography
Paul Freier (born 26 July 1979, in Bytom, Poland) is a German football coach and former football player, who was usually employed on the right wing. He is currently the assistant manager of VfL Bochum U19.
Biography
Childhood and youth
Freier was born in 1979 in the Upper Silesian city of Bytom (German: Beuthen). At the age of five, he joined in Gliwice the club ŁTS Łabędy. At the age of eleven, he emigrated with his parents from Upper Silesia to Germany, where the family settled in Arnsberg-Holzen in the Sauerland in North-Rhine Westphalia. Newly arrived there, he joined SV Holzen and three years later he moved to BSV Menden. In his youth he received an offer from Borussia Dortmund, but his father refused a move to Dortmund. In 1996, Freier joined the youth team of VfL Bochum.
First spell at Bochum
In 1998, he 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. In the 89th minute he replaced Delron Buckley. With Bochum, he celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga. On 12 August 2000, Freier made his debut in the Bundesliga in a 1–0 win on first matchday against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. 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. At the end of the season, Freier had made 22 appearances and scored one goal and VfL Bochum was relegated from the Bundesliga. In the 2001–02 season, Freier made 30 appearances scoring seven goals and was promoted again with the VfL Bochum to the Bundesliga. In the next season, Bochum reached to the ninth place with Freier making 32 appearances and scoring seven goals. In the 2003–04 season, Freier played in 27 games and scored one goal. This season, the VfL Bochum placed in the final standings in front of his local rivals from Gelsenkirchen (Schalke is a district of Gelsenkirchen) and Dortmund.
Spell at Bayer Leverkusen
In four seasons at Bayer Leverkusen between 2004 and 2004 he amassed 17 goals in 112 league matches.
Return to the VfL and end of the career
Freier returned to VfL Bochum at the end of the 2007–08 season, signing a five-year contract.
After retiring
Six months after retiring as a player, Freier was hired as assistant coach of the U16 team of VfL Bochum.
On 8 June 2015, it was confirmed that Freier was the new assistant manager of the U19 team of VfL Bochum.
International
He was a member of the German national team, winning 19 caps. Freier was initially named in Germany's UEFA Euro 2004 squad but had to withdraw through injury. 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.
Statistics
As of 16 May 2014
| 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.