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 FC | ||
| 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 most notably played as a winger for A-League Women club Brisbane Roar and represented the Australia women's national team (the Matildas).[2][3]
She is the twin sister of VfL Wolfsburg and Matildas player Sharn Freier. The two played at Brisbane Roar together in the 2024–25 A-League Women season.[4]
Laini retired, aged 24, from both international and club soccer at the end of 2025. She indicated that she would be focusing on her family life and work career.[5]
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.[6] She began playing soccer at the age of five.[5] Freier joined Moreton Bay United juniors.[7]: 32
She married in August 2025.[5]
Career
Domestic
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.[5]
International
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]
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.
- ^ a b c d Comito, Matt (22 August 2025). "Matildas midfielder announces shock retirement aged 24". A-League Women. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ "Roar snap up twin Laini". The Redcliffe Peninsula. 26 September 2024.
- ^ 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)