Miguel Freckleton’s rise from non-league football to the Champions League has taken just two and a half years. The 23-year-old defender, born in Bristol, joined Austrian champions LASK in July after winning the Scottish League Cup with St Mirren and has also made his international debut for Jamaica.
Freckleton’s European debut came during one of LASK’s biggest nights: he was brought on in extra time as the club came back from 4-0 down against Celtic to qualify for the Champions League for the first time. The result helped set up a league-phase schedule featuring Liverpool at Anfield and Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. Freckleton has been an unused substitute in LASK’s first three league-phase matches and is hoping to play against Slovan Bratislava.
His route to Austria was far from straightforward. He left Bristol Rovers at 14 after hearing of interest from other clubs, but trials at Wolves fell through when he became ill. With no club and a £50,000 compensation fee attached, he spent time at Bristol Inner City Academy and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College before playing youth football and making appearances for seventh-tier Mangotsfield United.
Freckleton returned to the professional game with Sheffield United in December 2021. He spent three and a half years at the club without making a first-team appearance, going out on loan to Wealdstone, Yeovil Town and Chesterfield in the National League, then Swindon Town in League Two. He was part of Chesterfield’s National League title-winning campaign in 2024.
After Sheffield United manager Ruben Selles told him he was not in his plans, Freckleton moved to St Mirren. The Scottish club reached the Scottish Cup semi-finals and won the League Cup, beating Celtic 3-1 in the final. Freckleton described the trophy as the best feeling he had experienced on the pitch.
He joined LASK in July and has made seven appearances for the club. The team’s comeback against Celtic helped launch its Champions League campaign, which also includes matches against AEK Athens, Liverpool and Sporting, with fixtures against Bodø/Glimt, Fenerbahçe, Porto and Real Madrid still to come.
Freckleton has also earned his first three caps for Jamaica, qualifying through his father. He came on as a substitute against Honduras, then started and assisted in wins over El Salvador and Honduras. It was his first return to Jamaica in a decade. A two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Mexico is on his schedule later this month.
Sources: BBC Sport Football.