Michael Frey (born 19 July 1994) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a forward for Jupiler Pro League side Royal Antwerp FC.
Club career
A youth product of Young Boys, he scored 37 goals for the Bernese side in two stints at the club.
In June 2017, Frey signed a four-year contract with FC Zürich. In his only year at Zurich, he scored 16 goals and lifted the Swiss Cup.
In August 2018, Frey joined Turkish club Fenerbahçe for a reported transfer fee of €2.64 million. He signed a four-year deal. After his first season in Turkey, Frey joined 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Nürnberg on loan for the 2019–20 season. The club retained an option to make the move permanent.
On 17 June 2021, Fenerbahçe announced that Frey had joined Antwerp on a permanent deal after an impressive loan spell with Beveren in the Belgian First Division A during the 2020–21 season. On 8 August 2021, Frey scored all five goals for Antwerp in their 5–2 league win over Standard Liège.
On 20 January 2023, after two and a half seasons in Belgium, he was loaned to the German side Schalke 04, newly promoted to the Bundesliga, with an option to make the deal permanent.
Queens Park Rangers On 28 January 2024, Frey signed for English club Queens Park Rangers. Frey scored his first goal for QPR in a 2–2 draw with Norwich City on 10 February 2024.
Frey opened his account in the 2024–25 season with a goal in a 2–1 defeat of Cambridge United in the first round of the EFL Cup on 13 August. The victory earned QPR their first win in the competition for three years. He then scored his first league goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with Plymouth Argyle on 24 August. Six days later, he scored the winner in a come-from-behind 2–1 win over Luton Town in the league.
On 18th September 2025, he became the 1,187th player to play for Queens Park Rangers with his debut on 03/02/2024.
Return to Switzerland On 26 January 2026, he signed with Swiss record champions Grasshopper Club Zurich on a two-year contract. A week later, on 31 January, he was nominated to the starting lineup in a 1–1 draw at home against FC Lugano. On 3 February, he started again in the mid-week Swiss Cup quarter-final tie against FC Sion and scored a stoppage time goal to equalize the match at 3–3. Grasshoppers would go on to win the game 4–3 in extra time, with Frey playing the full 120 minutes, and securing their place in the semi-final. He also supplied the assist for the 1–2 in the 76th minute of the game. On 11 April 2026, he scored his first goal in the Swiss Super League since 2018, with a long strike from his own half in the eleventh minute of stoppage time away against FC Winterthur for the final score of 0–2. Earlier he missed a penalty in the 91st minute of the game. He departed GC Zurich after just half a season on 18 June 2026 by mutual consent.
Return to Antwerp On 30 July 2026, he returned to Belgium, rejoining his former club Royal Antwerp on a two-year contract.
Style of play Described as a "high energy," "decisive" and "burly" striker, Frey's height, speed and strength make him a classic number 9, with the ability to hold the ball up and take on defenders, allied to precision and power in front of goal.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsYoung Boys2011–12Swiss Super League2100———212012–1331424—101—4392013–1433920———3592014–157300—42—115Total731744—143—9124Lille2014–15Ligue 1152102130—213Luzern (loan)2015–16Swiss Super League16410———174Young Boys2016–1729844—81—4113FC Zürich2017–18311254———36162018–193000———30Total341254———3916Fenerbahçe2018–19Süper Lig14330—52—2252020–211000———10Total15330—52—2351. FC Nürnberg (loan)2019–202. Bundesliga29411——20325Beveren (loan)2020–21Belgian Pro League271223——223117Antwerp2021–22392410—60—46242022–2314731—62—2310Total533141—122—6934Schalke 04 (loan)2022–23Bundesliga150————150Queens Park Rangers2023–24Championship91————912024–252981011——3192025–261300000——130Total5191011——5310Grasshopper2025–26Swiss Super League12121——20162Antwerp2026–27Belgian Pro League0000———00Career total3691032818324286229191
Honours FC Zürich Swiss Cup: 2017–18
Individual Swiss Super League Young Footballer of the Year: 2013–14
References
External links Switzerland U21 stats