Who is Fabian Hurzeler? The Premier League’s youngest-ever manager
Fabian Hurzeler became the Premier League’s youngest-ever coach since signing a contract at Brighton & Hove Albion this summer. Aged 31, he will be younger than some of the players he will be coaching, such as James Milner (38), Danny Welbeck (33) and Joël Veltman (32). Last season, the German impressed at St. Pauli in his first full season in charge, guiding the club to the promotion to the Bundesliga. Hurzeler, however, is not sticking around for a season in the Bundesliga. Instead, he will try his luck in what some may call the world’s toughest league.
Hurzeler was born in Houston, Texas, but he and his family left the United States when he was just a few years old. His parents worked in dentistry, and after leaving Texas they moved from Zurich to Freiburg and eventually settled in Munich. This is where Hurzeler also began his football career as a midfielder. He played for Bayern Munich’s second team, but never made the step to the first team. According to some of his former teammates, he was intelligent. Emre Can, who played with him at Bayern Munich II, predicted a great career as a coach for Hurzeler.
Footballer at Bayern Munich
In an interview with The New York Times, Hurzeler revealed how his time there defined his beliefs as a coach. ‘’I spent 10 years at Bayern, so it’s in my DNA to want possession and to dictate the game. That belief is still deep inside me but I’ve learned so much in the second division, which is a lot about long balls and set pieces, and that you have to be very intense against the ball. You need to be able to defend deep and to defend high.’’
Hurzeler ended his professional career aged 23 when he left Bayern Munich. He moved to the German amateur side FC Pipinsried and became player-manager. When he was 27, Hurzeler became an assistant manager at St. Pauli and just two years later he became the head coach.
Under his management, almost every footballer at St. Pauli played their best football to date last season. Hurzeler is not one to hold back and the fans of St. Pauli loved him for the passion he shows. During his welcoming press conference at Brighton, Hurzeler mentioned that football is his passion and that he calls himself ‘the grounded one’. ‘’I try to convince my players using the power of ideas. I will learn a lot and by that I won’t become a worse manager.’’
The football world will keep a keen eye out on the development of Hurzeler at Brighton. Even though a career as a footballer wasn’t for him, he swiftly adapted and is now making a name for himself in a different avenue.
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