Alex Freeman, the Wide Receiver
Emerging from superstar lineage, full-back Alex Freeman is heading to Spain
On January 26th, 1997, Brett Favre, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, spots a run. His wide receiver is steaming along the right-hand touchline; Favre makes the pass. "Antonio Freeman," the commentator cries, as the wide receiver snatches the ball from the air; "they're not gunna catch him!" This was a brave call, because Freeman had a very long way to go, but stride by stride he powered his way beyond the chasing pack and into the endzone. The touchdown set a then-Super Bowl record of 81 yards and kickstarted a famous Packers victory: the franchise's first since the legendary 1960s dynasty of Vince Lombardi.
It was an iconic moment in the All-Pro career of Freeman, who also made the 'miracle catch' in 2000 - one of the most famous catches in NFL history - and is today an alumnus of the storied Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Freeman was known for his dynamic athleticism and clutch moments. That Super Bowl catch epitomised both: when he caught the ball, the closest two defenders were almost level; by the time he hit the endzone, both were left floundering in the dust of his long, powerful strides. Almost three decades later, a Freeman again is making an indelible mark on, albeit a different, elite US sport: Antonio's son, Alex.
Alexander Freeman was alive to see neither the miracle catch nor his father's Super Bowl win - he's just 21. But last year, at 20, he put together an All-Star season in MLS. A key player for Orlando City from start to finish, Freeman was named in the MLS Team of the Year and became the first defender to be named MLS Young Player of the Year since 2012, all while earning 13 caps for the USMNT in under five months. Prior, Freeman had been a standout in MLS Next Pro - the development league - but had enjoyed very little exposure to first-team football. His breakout was as direct as he is on the pitch.
Such an outstanding season earned a milestone move this winter. In January, Freeman leapt across the Atlantic to join Villarreal for a fee that could rise to as much as €6 million. There he will, as LaLiga is soon to discover, tear up and down the touchline from right-back, like a long-strided wide receiver once did in the nineties.
This story was published in Volume I.
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