Alexander Blessin has left Union Saint-Gilloise for FC St-Pauli after just one year at Duden Park. The German is returning to manage in the Bundesliga.
The Hamburg-based club confirmed Blessin’s appointment on Thursday, however, the clubs have agreed not to disclose the transfer details, or the length of Blessin’s new contract.
The 51-year-old German coach will embark on his first experience in the German D1 league.
Blessin joined Duden Park for the 2023-2024 season, leading Union to second place in the championship, just a point behind Club Brugge, but ended an 89-year trophy drought for Union who clinched the Belgian Cup. Prior to this, Union had not won a trophy since 1935, and their last Belgian Cup win dated back to 1914.
These achievements earned Blessin the Coach of the Year award at the end of May at the Pro League Awards.
Blessin succeeded Karel Geraerts at Union, who also left the Brussels side after one season, having replaced Felice Mazzu, who departed for Anderlecht.
Prior to Union, Blessin coached Ostend from July 2020 to January 2022, following a stint at Leipzig. He notably led the Belgian coast team to 5th place at the end of the regular phase of the 2020-2021 season, which saw him awarded Coach of the Year for the first time.
After leaving Ostend, Blessin moved to Genoa in Italy in January 2022, but was unable to keep the club in Serie A and was dismissed in December 2022.
