FABIAN HURZELER once dreamed of starring in front of the camera.
Unfortunately for the teenage wannabe model, there were not any offers of employment.
But times have changed for the 35-year-old amid continued speculation surrounding .
sit third in the Prem, with.
It makes it four straight league wins with a whopping scoreline of 15-0.
But long before he was tipped to become the next United boss, 16-year-old Hurzeler was posing in photoshoots.
Speaking to GQ last year, said: “It turns out that no company really wanted to hire me.
“I had to accept that my body and face are not perfect for being a model.”
Instead, he continued at fifth-tier Pipinsried as player-manager.
The academy product, who was raised in Munich after being born in Texas, featured in the reserves at Hoffenheim and 1860 Munich.
And by 23, Hurzeler decided he would have to call it quits on the pitch if he was really going to make it ‘big time’.
While coaching the village club, the bills kept coming and the money rolling out.
Hurzeler found in Munich, but he struggled to put his beautiful game on the backburner.
He admitted: “The owner recognised that I’m watching more football during working time instead of really working because we didn’t sell any more paintings.”
And he was sacked.
Hurzeler, as a little boy, would hide under a table to avoid going to training before his dad forced him to go.
But it was not long before the reluctance vanished.
Family holidays turned into keep ups at the airport gate. He was determined to be the best.
At home, there was no escape from the competition with two dentists for parents and three siblings.
Even Uno at Christmas could sour the celebrations.
He said: “When I’m sitting with my family, let’s say at Christmas time, and we played games and I lost the game, the night was over for me.”
But Hurzeler was not the sort to command the room.
As an early teen, the Bayern youth captain was expected to give a speech after a tournament.
But when handed the mic, Hurzeler gave it straight back.
The awkward silence that followed and his clumsy two sentences have haunted the Brighton boss ever since.
But there has been much less hesitation on the touchline since.
Winning the second division title with St Pauli in 2024 led to the end of their 13-year absence from the Bundesliga.
And it was not long before .
The seaside club named him as their next manager after Roberto De Zerbi.
At 31, Hurzeler became the youngest permanent boss in Prem history.
After a move to the South Coast, he and have maintained a long-distance relationship.
The Munich-based actress, 34, stars in the popular German soap Sturm der Liebe [Love Storm].
And she has appeared in a host of films and TV shows since making her screen debut in 2017.
Berger recently popped over for one of London’s NFL games amid a busy filming schedule.
In the meantime, Hurzeler has leant into ordinary pleasures of Sunday roasts, walks along the Brighton promenade, with a trip to see Coldplay at the end of 2025 – .
But even his downtime comes with a score to settle.
The Prem boss paired up with Brighton chief executive Paul Barber to take down Bobby Zamora and Jamie Redknapp in a brutal game of padel, having recovered from 6-1 down.
Talking to club media, Hurzeler said: “I had to be on the winning side otherwise I know what people would have said afterwards, especially in the building!”
And it’s his ‘hunger to win’ attitude that has kept his career alive long enough to see the good days.
Back in February, Brighton were handed a heartbreaking 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Palace – leaving them in 14th with just one victory from 12 league games.
Stomach-churning chants fired from the Amex stands as supporters sang songs of his incoming P45.
Yet, eight months later, the Seagulls were singing songs of praise.
The home side went three up in ten minutes including Diego Gomez’s screamer from the halfway line in a five-goal thriller.
Hurzeler signed a new contract until June 2029 in May before guiding them to an eighth place finish and European football.
But the Red Devils could be plotting a hijack having seen the former art dealer’s handiwork first hand.
Last month, Brighton came from two down inside ten minutes to win 3-2 at Old Trafford – knocking Carrick’s side out of the League Cup.
