Mario Frick (footballer)

1.1. Early career and Swiss clubs

Born in Chur, Graubünden, Switzerland, Frick began his football journey with the youth team at the Liechtensteiner club FC Balzers in 1982, playing there until 1990. He then spent four seasons in the first team of FC Balzers in the early 1990s, making 97 appearances and scoring 49 goals.

In 1994, Frick made his first move abroad, signing with FC St. Gallen in Switzerland. This move marked a significant milestone as Frick became the first professional footballer in Liechtenstein's history. He played 60 matches for St. Gallen, scoring 11 goals.

Frick then joined Basel for their 1996-97 season. He made his debut for the club in the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup on 29 June 1996, in an away game against Antalyaspor, which Basel won 5-2. His domestic league debut for Basel came on 10 July 1996, in a 1-0 away victory against Aarau. Frick scored his first goal for Basel on 27 July in a match against Young Boys, which was later forfeited to a 3-0 win for Basel. His first officially recorded domestic league goal for Basel was on 11 August in a 2-2 draw against Sion. Between 1996 and 1999, Frick played a total of 115 games for Basel, scoring 37 goals. Of these, 81 games were in the Nationalliga A (scoring 30 goals), five in the Swiss Cup (scoring two goals), three in the UIC (scoring one goal), and 26 were friendly games (scoring four goals).

After his time with Basel, Frick moved to FC Zürich in 1999. There, he formed a successful strike partnership with South African striker Shaun Bartlett. He played 41 matches for FC Zürich, scoring 7 goals, and helped the club win the 1999-2000 Swiss Cup. His performances in Switzerland began to attract attention from scouts in top European leagues, including Italy's Serie A.

1.2. Italian clubs

In 2000, Frick signed with A.C. Arezzo ahead of the 2000-01 Serie C season, becoming the first Liechtensteiner to play professionally in Italy. On his debut, he scored both goals in a 2-1 victory against Lucchese. With Arezzo, he scored an impressive 18 goals in 23 matches, becoming the highest-scoring foreign player in the division at the time. His strong form helped Arezzo reach the Serie B promotion play-offs, though they were defeated 5-1 on aggregate by Livorno in the semi-finals.

Following his successful season with Arezzo, Frick signed with Serie A club Hellas Verona in 2001. His first Serie A goal for Hellas Verona came on 28 October 2001, in a 2-2 draw against Parma. Under manager Alberto Malesani, Frick played as one of three forwards in an attacking 3-4-3 formation, alongside promising young talents such as Alberto Gilardino, Adrian Mutu, Mauro Camoranesi, Sebastien Frey, Martin Laursen, Massimo Oddo, and Marco Cassetti, many of whom went on to have successful careers. Despite his efforts and 7 goals in 24 appearances, Verona was relegated to Serie B at the end of the 2001-02 season.

On 25 August 2002, Frick signed with Serie B side Ternana. He was described at the time as a player with "pace and predatory instincts [that] make him a danger inside the penalty area and he has proved he can score against tough opponents." On 8 January 2006, he extended his contract with Ternana until June 2009. Frick spent four seasons with Ternana, accumulating a total of 133 league games and scoring 44 goals, both personal records for him at a single club. He left Ternana at the end of the 2005-06 season following their relegation from Serie B.

In July 2006, Frick moved to A.C. Siena, returning to play in the Serie A. He wore the number 7 jersey and was a regular starter for the club. He made 88 appearances and scored 13 goals for Siena before his contract expired in May 2009.

1.3. Later career

On 22 June 2009, Frick rejoined his former club FC St. Gallen on a free transfer, signing a contract until June 2010. He played 41 matches and scored 5 goals during this second spell.

In January 2011, Frick moved to Grasshoppers, where he played 8 matches and scored 1 goal.

In July 2011, Frick decided to end his full-time professional career and returned to his first club, FC Balzers, to play part-time. He continued to play for Balzers until the end of the 2015-16 season, making 69 appearances and scoring 7 goals, before retiring as a player at the age of 41.

2.1. Debut and key activities

Frick made his Liechtenstein debut in October 1993 in a friendly match against Estonia. He quickly established himself as a key player for the national team. He scored his first international goal in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Romania in September 1997.

On 7 June 2000, Frick scored a notable equalizer against Germany in a friendly match, leveling the score at 2-2. However, Germany went on to score six goals in the last 10 minutes, winning the match 8-2.

Frick experienced a disagreement with national coach Ralf Loose and the Liechtenstein Football Association near the end of the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification stages, which led to his temporary exclusion from the team. This event was chronicled in Charlie Connelly's book, Stamping Grounds: Liechtenstein's Quest for the World Cup. Following changes within the Liechtenstein Football Association and the coaching staff, Frick returned to the squad, notably playing in both matches against England.

During a Euro 2008 qualifier against Latvia on 28 March 2007, Frick scored the only goal of the game, securing Liechtenstein's first-ever victory over a team that had qualified for a major tournament.

2.2. Records and retirement

On 10 August 2011, Frick achieved a significant milestone by making his 100th appearance for Liechtenstein in a friendly match against Switzerland in Vaduz.

Frick announced his retirement from international football in October 2015, at the age of 41. His final international appearance for Liechtenstein was in a 3-0 defeat to Austria in a European qualifying match on 12 October 2015. He concluded his international career with a national record of 125 caps and 16 goals, making him the all-time leading goal-scorer for Liechtenstein.

3.1. FC Balzers

Frick began his coaching journey as a player-manager for his first club, FC Balzers, from 2012 to 2017. Upon his retirement as a player in 2016, he continued solely as the manager for the club until 2017, gaining his initial experience in football management.

3.2. FC Vaduz

From 2017 to 2018, Frick served as a coach for FC Vaduz's U-18 team, as well as the Liechtenstein U-18 and U-19 national teams.

On 17 September 2018, Frick was appointed as the manager of the senior team of FC Vaduz. In his first season, he led the club to a world record 47th Liechtenstein Football Cup title with a 3-2 win over FC Ruggell on 1 May 2019. This victory also secured FC Vaduz's qualification for the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round. In January 2020, his contract with FC Vaduz was extended until summer 2021.

Frick successfully guided FC Vaduz back into the Swiss Super League on 10 August 2020. This promotion was achieved after finishing second in the 2019-20 Swiss Challenge League and subsequently winning the relegation play-offs against FC Thun with a 5-4 aggregate victory.

3.3. FC Luzern

On 20 December 2021, Mario Frick was announced as the new head coach of Super League club FC Luzern. He continues to serve in this role, leading the team in Switzerland's top flight. In the 2022-23 season, he was recognized for his managerial performance by being included in the Swiss Super League Team of the Year.

5.1. Player honours

FC Balzers

• Liechtenstein Football Cup: 1990-91, 1992-93

FC Zürich

• Swiss Cup: 1999-2000

Individual

• Liechtensteiner Footballer of the Year: 1993-94, 1998-99, 2001-02, 2006-07 (4 times)

5.2. Managerial honours

FC Vaduz

• Liechtenstein Football Cup: 2018-19

Individual

• Swiss Super League Team of the Year: 2022-23 (as manager)