Laini Freier
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 July 2001[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Moreton Bay | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | Brisbane Roar/NTC | ||
| 2020–2021 | The Gap (women) | ||
| 2022 | Moreton Bay | ||
| 2023–2024 | Brisbane City | ||
| 2024–2025 | Brisbane Roar | 17 | (9) |
| 2025 | Brisbane City | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2025 | Australia | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 3 February 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 24 February 2025 | |||
Laini Freier (German: [ˈfʁaɪ̯ɐ] FRY-er; born 24 July 2001) is an Australian retired professional soccer player who played as a winger for A-League Women club Brisbane Roar and represented the Australia women's national team (the Matildas).[2][3]
Freier is the twin sister of VfL Wolfsburg player and fellow Matilda, Sharn Freier. The two played at Brisbane Roar together in the 2024–25 A-League Women season.[4] Freier retired, aged 24, from both international and club soccer at the end of 2025.
Early and personal life
Twin sisters Laini and Sharn Freier were born in 2001 and grew up in Pine Rivers, Queensland and attended Pine Rivers State High School.[5] She began playing soccer at the age of five.[6] Freier joined Moreton Bay United juniors.[7]: 32 As from August 2025, she is married and moved into a newly-built house with her husband.[6]
Soccer career
Freier's first state level club was Brisbane Roar/NTC (National Training Centre) for the 2018–19 seasons in the National Premier Leagues Queensland.[7]: 32 [8] She followed with stints at The Gap during 2020 and 2021, Moreton Bay United (senior women) in 2022 and Brisbane City in 2023 and 2024.[7]: 32
On 11 September 2024 she transferred as a midfielder from Brisbane City to Brisbane Roar in the A-League Women ahead of 2024–25 season.[9] She appeared 17 times for Brisbane Roar and provided 9 goals.[1] She scored a hat-trick in her debut game against Newcastle Jets on 21 December 2024.[10] Freier followed with another hat-trick in their next game, against Western United.[11] After the A-League season, she returned to Brisbane City the rest of 2025.[6]
In February 2025, Freier received her first senior call up to the Australian national team for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup in the United States,[12] earning her first cap against the USWNT.[13]
Freier announced her retirement from both club and international levels of soccer in August 2025.[6] She indicated that she would be focussing on her family life and work career.[6]
References
- ^ a b "Australia – L. Freier – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ "Laini Freier". Brisbane Roar. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ Dodd, James (3 February 2025). "Meet Australia's newest Matilda called up after just 10 pro matches". A-Leagues. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ "Matilda's twin joins sister at Brisbane Roar: 'A dream come true'". A-Leagues. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ "Roar snap up twin Laini". The Redcliffe Peninsula. 26 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Comito, Matt (22 August 2025). "Matildas midfielder announces shock retirement aged 24". A-League Women. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ a b c "Ninja A-League 2024/25 Season Guide" (PDF). A-Leagues Media Centre. November 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ^ Lepre, Elizabeth (10 September 2018). "Brisbane Roar/NTC claim NPLW Championship". Football Queensland. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "NPLW QLD midfielder Laini Freier signs for Brisbane Roar". Brisbane Roar. 11 September 2024.
- ^ Pisani, Sacha (21 December 2024). "Football fairytale and wondergoal headline Brisbane Roar's biggest win in 4 years". A-Leagues. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ Pisani, Sacha (29 December 2024). "Rampant Roar equal record as Brisbane gun scores back-to-back hat-tricks in unprecedented feat". A-Leagues. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Sermanni selects 23-player CommBank Matildas squad to participate in SheBelieves Cup". Matildas. Football Australia. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ Heddo, Taryn (24 February 2025). "CommBank Matildas defeated 2–1 by World No.1 USA". Matildas. Football Australia. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
External links
- Laini Freier at kicker (in German)