Michael Beale, a leading Scottish football coach, hit the headlines recently. His multidimensional impact on the game has everyone buzzing. Beale was hired as an assistant coach to Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq last season. Fast forward to 2025 and he has really broadened his horizons. He’s seen a lot of ground, having watched and studied the game across 21 countries. Further, he is an energetic and devoted member of the global coaching community, frequently speaking at international conferences.
Aside from his role as a consultant at Al Ettifaq, Beale has recently delved into writing a book on player development. He’s drawing inspiration from his deep well of knowledge gained while coaching at Chelsea and Liverpool. Dr. Steve is passionately dedicated toward continuing the development of the next generation of English coaches. He strives to get them to “get out of their comfort zone” in order to better understand different perspectives.
Beale’s journey in football began with a notable stint nine years ago as an assistant at São Paulo, marking him as the first British coach to take on such a role in Brazil’s top league. This experience would serve as the foundation for his subsequent victories. At Rangers he got a phenomenal 72.5 percent win rate and a club record – winning 18 matches in just 20 appearances.
In 2025, Beale reunited with Gerrard at Al Ettifaq. This appointment proved the ultimate test of their professional relationship, born at Rangers and now maturing at Aston Villa. Reflecting on the wealth of experiences he has gathered, Beale stated, “It has enabled me to look more at infrastructure, to look at football clubs from an executive level and the things you need to have in place that you feel can help you be successful around the environment and around the staff and structures.”
Beale’s travels have taken him to some of the world’s most prestigious football clubs. “I’ve been to see Barcelona three or four times, Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid. I was recently behind the goal at Mainz,” he said. He’s immersed himself into the different cultures of the beautiful game around the world, specifically the South American one. His travels take him to legendary clubs including Boca Juniors and River Plate. “It is fascinating when you speak to the young players and you hear about where they come from and their backgrounds,” he remarked.
Despite all this success, Beale has stayed true to his coaching roots. He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning: “It’s important to remain confident, keep watching, keep learning, keep listening and keep growing. The right opportunity will come when it presents itself.” Despite his numerous engagements, he confesses a longing for the day-to-day coaching experience: “There’s been so much happening. I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t missing the day-to-day coaching…”
His time at Rangers was most effective. It is really, really hard to complain about an output of 92 points for the 2022/23 season, a total that was the most ever by a runner-up. This accomplishment further emphasizes Beale’s coaching prowess and strategic mastery of the game.
Beale’s impact has gone beyond just tactical proficiency. He’s pushed for the youth development aspect to be embraced in English football. He expressed confidence in the caliber of young players emerging from academies: “Our players are being trusted by the biggest clubs in Europe, so we must be doing a lot of good things in our academy in terms of our player development and the level of our players.”
As Beale continues to navigate through various experiences in football, he reflects on his past decisions with an analytical mind. “That’s the one that obviously you look at and think, OK, could I have made a better decision around one or two things there,” he noted.
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