| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fabian Marc Hürzeler[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1993-02-26)26 February 1993 (age 32) | ||
| Place of birth | Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Brighton & Hove Albion (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2004 | Helios Daglfing | ||
| 2004–2012 | Bayern Munich | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2013 | Bayern Munich II | 36 | (3) |
| 2013–2014 | TSG Hoffenheim II | 29 | (5) |
| 2014–2016 | 1860 Munich II | 45 | (2) |
| 2016–2020 | FC Pipinsried | 87 | (3) |
| 2020–2022 | Eimsbütteler TV | 14 | (2) |
| Total | 211 | (15) | |
| 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 Marc Hürzeler (born 26 February 1993) is a German professionalfootball manager and formerplayer. He is the current head coach ofPremier League clubBrighton & Hove Albion. He became the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history at age 31.[2]
Hürzeler joinedBayern Munich'syouth academy at the age of ten and went through all of the club's youth teams. He also representedGermany at several youth levels, collecting 21 appearances for his country. His career as a professional footballer took place mainly in the lower ranks of German football, playing withBayern Munich II,TSG Hoffenheim II, and1860 Munich II. He effectively ended his professional playing career at the age of 22, but continued to play at an amateur level withFC Pipinsried, as aplayer-coach. After joining the coaching staff ofFC St. Pauli in 2020, Hürzeler joinedHamburg-based sixth division clubEimsbütteler TV and was promoted with the club to theOberliga Hamburg, the fifth-highest level, in 2022.
In 2016, Hürzeler, who had been eyeing a transition into a managerial role for many years and had been predicted a "great career as a coach" by former Bayern Munich II teammateEmre Can, moved down to the amateur ranks of German football, joiningFC Pipinsried in a joint player-head coach role.[3] In 2018, he also took on the job as assistant manager in charge of theGermany U20s andGermany U18s.[3] Hürzeler took Pipinsried up fromBayernliga Süd, the fifth-highest level in Germany, toRegionalliga Bayern, the fourth division. FC Pipinsried avoided relegation to Bayernliga Süd in the first season, but went down the following season. Hürzeler stayed at Pipinsried for one further year.
In 2020, Hürzeler was named assistant coach atFC St. Pauli, working alongside head coachTimo Schultz.[3] On 6 December 2022, following the dismissal of Schultz, Hürzeler was appointed new head coach at FC St. Pauli on an interim basis.[4] He was given the job of head coach on a permanent basis just two weeks later, on 23 December, following several good results, thus becoming the youngest head coach in the2. Bundesliga league at just 29 years of age.[5] Hürzeler managed to turn round the team's fortunes, taking St. Pauli from in danger of relegation to close to the promotion places by achieving ten wins in a row by April 2023.[6] In April 2023, he obtained hisUEFA Pro Licence at just 30 years of age.[7] In March 2024, Hürzeler extended his contract with the club[8] and on 12 May 2024 St. Pauli were promoted to theBundesliga.[9]
On 15 June 2024, Hürzeler became the new head coach ofPremier League clubBrighton & Hove Albion, replacingRoberto De Zerbi.[10] He is the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history.[11] In his first competitive match with Brighton, Hürzeler's team won 3–0 away atEverton in the Premier League.[12] Hürzeler oversaw an unbeaten start to Brighton's season, which also included a home win againstManchester United and an away draw atArsenal, earning him thePremier League Manager of the Month award for August.[13] In his first season, Brighton finished 8th in the Premier League after they beatEuropa League winnersTottenham Hotspur 4–1, achieving a first ever league double over them. Despite this, Brighton missed out on European qualification due to rivalsCrystal Palace winning theFA Cup.[14]
Hürzeler was born inHouston, Texas, to a Swiss father and a German mother while they were working in the United States.[3] His family moved back to Germany when he was two years old, where he grew up in theMunich district ofBogenhausen. He holds German, Swiss, and American citizenship.[15]
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| FC Pipinsried | 1 July 2016 | 30 June 2020 | 103 | 38 | 28 | 37 | 140 | 161 | −21 | 036.89 | [16][17][18][19][20] |
| FC St. Pauli | 6 December 2022 | 15 June 2024 | 55 | 36 | 12 | 7 | 107 | 54 | +53 | 065.45 | [21][22][23] |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1 July 2024 | Present | 60 | 28 | 18 | 14 | 113 | 84 | +29 | 046.67 | [24][25] |
| Career total | 218 | 102 | 58 | 58 | 361 | 299 | +62 | 046.79 | |||
FC Pipinsried
FC St. Pauli
Individual