Laura Freigang: Frankfurt’s Beacon of Hope
2015 was a year of many major milestones in women‘s football. From the then-record-breaking World Cup in Canada to the first-ever inclusion of women players on FIFA, it proved to be a trailblazing new beginning. But, earlier in the year, within the confines of the most-successful European country in women‘s football, a glorious era was about to come to an end.
The Champions League final took place in the Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, the third-largest stadium in the city. On one side was Paris-Saint-Germain, the state-backed French powerhouse with a plethora of international talent, and on the other, a local stalwart and the last-remaining women‘s-only side in the tournament: 1. FFC Frankfurt.
The back-and-forth match would see Frankfurt beat PSG 2-1 thanks to goals from Celia Sasic and Mandy Islacker, two of Germany‘s deadliest strikers, with Sasic also finishing the season as top-scorer in the competition. Sadly, this magnificent triumph would be the last trophy in 1. FFC Frankfurt‘s history, and the last time a German team won the Champions League.
Fast-forward three years, Frankfurt became a mid-table side, finishing no higher than fourth, and with Sasic long retired, Islacker plying her trade at FC Bayern, superstar Dzsenifer Marozsan moving across the border to france, and future Bundesliga stars Svenja Huth, and Kathrin Hendrich all gone, the FFC searched far and wide for new talents, and out of all places it would be in Pennsylvania in the United States where they would eventually find a young and talented German forward playing for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
And that young forward is none other than Laura Freigang, Frankfurt‘s current shining superstar.
Freigang‘s first professional season on home soil brought individual success as she finished the season with ten goals in the league. However, Frankfurt only managed a sixth-place finish and was three places below the final Champions League spot, which was occupied by bitter rivals 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, who also had a young and prolific forward in their ranks. In fact, Freigang and this young forward scored the same amount of goals that season, and the next season, in 2019-20, in a season blighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the two would only be separated by one goal as Potsdam once again got the better of Frankfurt even though Freigang was the one who had the more goals. Also, the end of the season saw the end of the 1. FFC Frankfurt name as the team would be implemented into the system of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.
For Freigang, 2020 would be the start of a new milestone: her debut with the German national team. Later that year, she would follow that up with her first goal and her first competitive hat-trick in a 6-0 thrashing of Greece. On club level, it was not going that bad as well. Remember the young forward that played for Potsdam? Well, she was acquired by Frankfurt, and Lara Prasnikar became Freigang‘s new partner to spearhead the club‘s attack. And obviously, this helped as Freigang reached a career-high total of sixteen goals that season, and even though they finished sixth again, a bright future was on the horizon for both Freigang and the club.
The 2021-22 season was the season where Laura Freigang became a figurehead both on and off the pitch. After many years out of Europe‘s premier competition, Frankfurt finally returned, with Freigang scoring twelve goals as die Adler finished the season on 46 points and third place. These performances would then lead to her being selected for her first senior international tournament, Euro 2022. In addition to her on-field success, Freigang also established an authentic image off the pitch as her personality shone on-screen and on social media, quickly garnering a massive following and hero status within the Eintracht Frankfurt ranks.
Unfortunately, the Kiel-born forward was only used very sparingly in the tournament where Germany finished runners-up to eventual champions England, playing fifteen minutes as a substitute in a 3-0 group stage win against Finland. To be fair, Germany isn’t exactly short of attacking talent, especially in that center-forward position, and when the captain and the league’s top scorer play ahead of you it’s kind of understandable. But, Freigang saved her best work off the pitch and after the Euros, and it was something that the world of football sorely needed…
Freigang’s photography account @pictogangg
Just before the start of the 2022-23 season, Freigang launched Pictogang, an Instagram account where she would post behind-the-scenes pictures of the adventures of the German national team during the tournament in England. Through this account, which now has more than 27 thousand followers, we fans are able to see a different perspective on the footballers that grace our screens every single weekend. As a photographer myself, I love how authentic Freigang’s pictures are in terms of conveying the emotions of the other players, and this brings a much-needed humanization of the public figures you love and adore. You see them go on vacations, watch football games, or even just a peek at what they do on the bus (like uni work or play trading cards, don’t think too far), it’s just such a wonderful breath of fresh air. I just love it, to be honest, and I think this is just a testament of Freigang’s form of expressing her creativity and capturing the wonderful memories she has with her friends, teammates, and family.
When I first came to watch Eintracht Frankfurt’s women’s team in March of this year, first of all I was surprised by the turnout on a Tuesday night, and secondly, many of the jerseys worn by the fans had “Freigang 10” on the back. And then, when you look at the ads on various platforms, both online and offline, you see a lot of her presence there, such as Eintracht’s Indeed partnership and the German national team’s partnership with Google Pixel. And you can also bring the Under Armour deal into consideration. It feels like Frankfurt (and to a certain extent Germany) found themselves an authentic figure and point of reference to adore and love, and when you listen or watch her interviews, you kind of see someone who is not only very comfortable in front of the camera, but also very authentic and outspoken regarding issues that plague women’s football.
And thankfully for all of us, all Eintracht Frankfurt fans, and possibly all fans of German women’s football, the queen of the 069 is staying at the heart of Europe for another three seasons. When I was initially writing this, it was unclear if she would extend her contract or not. Heck, because of this, I had Prasnikar’s name on my jersey instead of Freigang (it was a close call but I wanted to be anti-mainstream), and I didn’t want to “risk” it, so to say. But yeah, that contract extension is something to be celebrated by, well, everyone. With Frankfurt making shrewd signings, some players coming back into fitness after injury, a forward line that is up there with the best in the Bundesliga, it might be time to start taking them seriously as a contender, not just for the Champions League placings, but possibly also the league title. With Wolfsburg undergoing a transitional phase, second place is at least on the cards, and who knows, if Bayern somehow underperform, there is a chance, right?
But most importantly, in the center of it all, the hero that was promised, the icon that shone brightest under the glimmering skyline of this sprawling metropolis, will soar together with her eagle sisterhood to places they have never reached before. Ten seasons on from that famous night in Berlin, the time is ripe for Laura Freigang to bring back glory, back to the heart of Europe.
Thank you and have a nice day.
