Fabian Hürzeler

German football manager (born 1993)

Fabian Hürzeler
Personal information
Date of birth (1993-02-26) 26 February 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Houston, Texas, United States
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Brighton & Hove Albion (head coach)
Youth career
Helios Daglfing
2008–2012 Bayern Munich
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2013 Bayern Munich II 36 (3)
2013–2014 1899 Hoffenheim II 29 (5)
2014–2016 1860 Munich II 45 (2)
2016–2020 FC Pipinsried 87 (3)
2020–2022 Eimsbütteler TV
International career
2008 Germany U15 1 (0)
2008–2009 Germany U16 9 (5)
2009–2010 Germany U17 10 (0)
2011 Germany U19 1 (0)
Managerial career
2016–2020 FC Pipinsried
2022–2024 FC St. Pauli
2024– Brighton & Hove Albion
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Fabian Hürzeler (born 26 February 1993) is an American-born German professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.

Playing career

Hürzeler's career as a player took place mainly in the lower ranks of German football, playing with Bayern Munich II, 1899 Hoffenheim II and 1860 Munich II. He effectively ended his professional playing career at the age of 23.

Coaching career

Early career

In 2016, Hürzeler, who had been eyeing a transition into a managerial role since a youth age and had been predicted a "great career as a coach" by former Bayern Munich II teammate Emre Can, moved down to the amateur ranks of German football, joining FC Pipinsried in a joint player/head coach role.[1] In 2018, he also took on a job as an assistant manager in charge of the Germany U20s and Germany U18s.[1]

FC St. Pauli

In 2020, Hürzeler was named new assistant at FC St. Pauli, working alongside head coach Timo Schultz.[1] On 6 December 2022, following the dismissal of Schultz, Hürzeler was appointed new head coach on an interim basis.[2] He was successively given the head coaching job on a permanent basis just two weeks later, on 23 December, following a positive string of results, thus becoming the youngest head coach in the 2. Bundesliga league at just 29 years of age.[3] Under his tenure, Hürzeler managed to turn the team's fortunes, taking a club in danger of relegation and bringing it close to the promotion spots by achieving ten wins in a row by April 2023.[4] In April 2023, he obtained his UEFA Pro Licence at just 30 years of age.[5] In March 2024, Hürzeler extended his contract with St. Pauli.[6] On 12 May 2024, under his tenure, St. Pauli were promoted to the Bundesliga.[7]

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 15 June 2024, Hürzeler was named the new head coach of Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, signing a three-year deal, to replace departing Roberto De Zerbi.[8] With this appointment, he became the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history.[9]

Managerial statistics

As of 26 May 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
FC St. Pauli Germany 6 December 2022 15 June 2024 55 36 12 7 107 54 +53 065.45
Brighton & Hove Albion England 15 June 2024 Present 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
Career total 55 36 12 7 107 54 +53 065.45

Personal life

Hürzeler was born in Houston, Texas, to a Swiss father and a German mother while they were working in the United States.[1] His family moved back to Germany when he was two years old.[10]

Honours

FC St. Pauli

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Fabian Hürzeler: Who is the former Bayern Munich youth player outdoing Jürgen Klopp and reviving St Pauli's fortunes?". Bundesliga. 4 April 2023.
  2. ^ "FC ST. PAULI PART COMPANY WITH TIMO SCHULTZ". FC St. Pauli. 6 December 2022.
  3. ^ "FC ST. PAULI NAME FABIAN HÜRZELER HEAD COACH". FC St. Pauli. 23 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Fabian Hurzeler: The 30-year-old coach transforming St Pauli's season". The Athletic. 3 March 2023.
  5. ^ "St. Paulis Seriensieger Hürzeler offiziell Fußball-Lehrer" (in German). Merkur.de. 3 March 2023.
  6. ^ "HÜRZELER SIGNS NEW DEAL". FC St. Pauli. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  7. ^ "St. Pauli beat Osnabrück to seal Bundesliga promotion". Bundesliga. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Albion appoint Hürzeler as new head coach". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Brighton appoint Hurzeler as head coach". Premier League. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Fabian Hürzeler: Der Internationale" (in German). TSG Hoffenheim. 30 January 2014.
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Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. – current squad
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Managerial positions
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FC St. Pauli – managers
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Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. – managers
(c) = caretaker manager