Alexander_Blessin
Alexander Blessin
German football manager
Alexander Blessin (born 28 May 1973) is a German professional football manager who is currently the head coach of Union SG.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Matthias Blessin | ||
| Date of birth | 28 May 1973 (1973-05-28) (age 50) | ||
| Place of birth | Stuttgart, West Germany | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Union SG (head coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 0000–1995 | TSV Georgii Allianz Stuttgart [de][1] | ||
| 1995–1996 | SV Bonlanden | ||
| 1996–1997 | TSF Ditzingen[2] | 30 | (9) |
| 1997–1999[3] | VfB Stuttgart[4] | 7 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | Stuttgarter Kickers[3] | 46 | (6) |
| 2001–2002[5] | Antalyaspor[6] | 1 | (0) |
| 2002[7] | Wacker Burghausen[5] | 10 | (1) |
| 2002–2003[8] | 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig[9] | 33 | (6) |
| 2003–2005 | SC Pfullendorf[8] | 65 | (21) |
| 2005–2006 | 1899 Hoffenheim[10] | 34 | (7) |
| 2006–2008[11] | Sportfreunde Siegen[12] | 63 | (14) |
| 2008–2009[13] | Jahn Regensburg[14] | 16 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | SSV Reutlingen[15] | 20 | (1) |
| 2010–2012[16] | SV Bonlanden[17] | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012–2018 | RB Leipzig (U17) | ||
| 2018–2020 | RB Leipzig (U19) | ||
| 2020–2022 | KV Oostende | ||
| 2022 | Genoa | ||
| 2023– | Union SG | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Blessin started his senior career with TSV Georgii Allianz Stuttgart. In 2001, he signed for Antalyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig, where he made one league appearance.[18] After that, he played for German clubs Wacker Burghausen, Lokomotive Leipzig, SC Pfullendorf, 1899 Hoffenheim, Sportfreunde Siegen, Jahn Regensburg, SSV Reutlingen, and SV Bonlanden before retiring in 2012.
Following his retirement as an active player, Blessin joined RB Leipzig as a youth coach in 2012. He left Leipzig in 2020 to accept an offer as the new manager of Oostende in the Belgian First Division A.[19]
He completed his first season with Oostende in fifth place, which led to him being linked to clubs such as Sheffield United and Celtic, as well as being named manager of the year in the Belgian top flight.[20][21]
On 19 January 2022, he was hired by Serie A club Genoa as the club's new head coach under a two-and-a-half year contract, after the Italian club paid a fixed fee to activate a buyout clause present in Blessin's contract with Oostende.[22]
After failing to save Genoa from relegation, Blessin was confirmed in charge of the club for the 2022–23 Serie B season, with the goal to lead the Rossoblu promptly back to Serie A. On 6 December 2022, after a string of negative results, Blessin was dismissed from his role with immediate effect.[23][24]
In July 2023, Blessin became head coach of Belgian side Union SG.[25] He led the club to finish top of the 2023–24 regular season, 8 points ahead of second-placed rival Anderlecht.[26] On 9 May 2024, Union SG won the Belgian Cup final 1–0 against Royal Antwerp for the first time after 110 years.[27]
- As of match played 19 May 2024
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| KV Oostende | 7 June 2020 | 19 January 2022 | 65 | 26 | 11 | 28 | 040.00 |
| Genoa | 19 January 2022 | 6 December 2022 | 33 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 033.33 |
| Union SG | 3 July 2023 | present | 57 | 35 | 12 | 10 | 061.40 |
| Total | 155 | 72 | 35 | 48 | 046.45 | ||
Union SG
Individual
- Saison 1994/95 SG Untertürkheim
- Große Namen TSF Kitzingen
- July 1999 transfers Global Soccer Transfers
- Die Rückennummern beim VfB Rund um den Brustring
- Transfers Jan.2002 Global Soccer Transfers
- Released Players Quarter II 2002 Global Soccer Transfers
- Die Vereine der Regionalliga Süd vor der Saison Archived 18 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine Main-Post
- Transfers Jul.2002 Global Soccer Transfers
- Zwei neue Angreifer Archived 23 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine Gmünder Tagespost
- Wechselkarussell bei Drittligisten dreht sich Frankfurter Rundschau
- Zwei Neue für Siegen Transfermarkt
- Die Wechselbörse im Winter SPOX.com
- Zweijahresvertrag: Blessin kommt zum SSV Jahn Archived 26 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine Mittelbayerische
- Blessin geht nach Reutlingen Archived 1 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine Mittelbayerische
- VERBANDSLIGA: WER KAM - WER GING Archived 11 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine Südwest Presse Online
- "ALEXANDER BLESSIN È IL NUOVO ALLENATORE" (in Italian). Genoa C.F.C. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
- "'VERY PROUD': MANAGER LINKED WITH RANGERS WINS COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD". HITC. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
- "Sheffield United-linked manager Alexander Blessin named coach of year in Belgium after transforming Oostende's fortunes". The Star. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
- "Genoa a sorpresa, il nuovo allenatore è Blessin: "Qui per un progetto a lungo termine"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
- "COMUNICATO STAMPA". Genoa Cricket and Football Club (in Italian). 6 December 2022. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- "Genoa, Alexander Blessin esonerato. Alberto Gilardino tecnico ad interim" (in Italian). TuttoMercatoWeb. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- "Alexander Blessin is de nieuwe coach van Union Saint-Gilloise" (in Dutch). BRUZZ. 3 July 2023.
- "How Brighton's sister club turned into the 'cheat code' of European football". The Independent. 29 March 2024.
- "Union Saint-Gilloise end 110-year wait for Belgian Cup success". Reuters. 9 May 2024.