Alfred Bickel, also referred to as Fredy Bickel (12 May 1918 – 18 August 1999) was a Swiss football player and coach. He played as a forward for local club Grasshopper Club Zürich and the Switzerland national team, participating with the latter in the World Cup finals of 1938 and 1950.

Alfred Bickel
Personal information
Date of birth (1918-05-12)12 May 1918
Place of birth Eppstein, German Empire
Date of death 18 August 1999(1999-08-18) (aged 81)
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1935–1956 Grasshopper Club Zürich 405 (202)
International career
1936–1954 Switzerland 71 (15)
Managerial career
1958–1960 Grasshopper Club Zürich
1963–1964 Grasshopper Club Zürich
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played 405 matches and scored 202 goals in the Swiss first division from 1935 to 1956,[1] a period during which he won 7 league titles and 9 cup titles with Grasshopper.

He was a member of the Swiss national team from 1936 to 1954, earning 71 caps and scoring 15 goals,[2] including one in their first-round victory over Nazi Germany in the 1938 World Cup. He was the first player in World Cup history to score against the country of his birth; the only other player to have done so was Breel Embolo, also for Switzerland, against Cameroon in 2022.[3]

Bickel is one of only two footballers ever to participate in World Cups before and after World War II, the other being Sweden's Erik Nilsson.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Source: http://www.iffhs.de/?2b04f8320cf83e48c50948a21417f3320ae43d00a761
  2. ^ Source: "Switzerland - Record International Players". Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  3. ^ Hamilton, Tom (24 November 2022). "Breel Embolo haunts Cameroon as Switzerland claim crucial World Cup win". ESPN. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  4. ^ Source
Awards
Preceded by Swiss Sportsman of the Year
1953
Succeeded by