Brighton are off to a great start in the Premier League with two wins in two games and the man behind the team is Fabian Hurzeler, the youngest head coach in the tournament's history. (More Football News)
The 31-year-old Hurzeler on Saturday earned his first home victory for Brighton when the Seagulls defeated Manchester United 2-1 via an injury time goal. While the Hurzeler era for the Seagulls is off to a great start, the way he commenced his coaching stint at his previous club in Bundesliga 2 St Pauli was even more spectacular.
With Hurzeler going well in the Premier League, here is a short profile of the Brighton manager who effectively ended playing career at just 23 and is now in the spotlight as young head coach.
Who Is Fabian Hurzeler
Hurzeler was born in the United States to a Swiss father and a German mother. His family moved to Germany when Hurzeler was two years old. At the age of 11, Hurzeler joined Bayern Munich youth academy. He represented Bayern Munich II in the lower levels of German football.
In the year 2016, aged 23, Hurzeler began a new chapter in his career and signed as a player-manager at FC Pipinsried. He also took up the role of the manager of Germany U20s and Germany U18s teams during his stint at Pipinsried.
In 2020, he left FC Pipinsried to join St Pauli as the assistant to head coach Timo Schultz.
In December 2022, Schultz was dismissed from the head coach's position and Hurzeler was promoted to the role on an interim basis. However, some strong performances from St Pauli saw him take up the role on a full-time basis and becoming the youngest ever to head coach a Bundesliga 2 side.
When Hurzeler took the charge of St Pauli, the team was in danger of relegation. However, under Hurzeler, St Pauli's fortunes changed and they won 10 league matches on the trot. Despite a strong finish, St Pauli could not earn a promotion.
In the next season, Hurzeler ensured St Pauli's promotion too.
St Pauli were unbeaten in their opening 20 Bundesliga 2 matches last season under Hurzeler making him a sought-after name in the coaching setups across Europe. St Pauli earned a promotion to Bundesliga last season and Hurzeler bid goodbye to the club and joined Brighton in Premier League.
Like at St Pauli, he has started with back-to-back wins with Brighton too. Though, it will be a tough task for Hurzeler to recreate his Bundesliga 2 heroics, but he has already shown that he belongs at this level.
Fabian Hurzeler coaching record
| Team | From | To | Played | W | D | L |
| FC Pipinsried | 1 July 2016 | 30 June 2020 | 103 | 38 | 28 | 37 |
| FC St. Pauli | 6 December 2022 | 15 June 2024 | 55 | 36 | 12 | 7 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1 July 2024 | Present | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Hurzeler lost just seven matches in his almost two-year long stay at St Pauli and helped them to advance to the Bundesliga.
