One of Steven Gerrard's key lieutenants at Aston Villa began his coaching career by teaching children to play futsal in a sports hall in Bromley.
Ahead of his first game as manager, against Brighton on Saturday, Gerrard has already promised changes to the way Villa train and play – and Michael Beale will be key to putting those plans into practice.
Beale never had a long-term professional career yet he is one of the most highly-rated coaches in the game.
Michael Beale (L), one of Steven Gerrard's right-hand men, will be key to success at Aston Villa
Gerrard has been officially unveiled at Villa and brought Beale along with him from Rangers
Gerrard spotted him during Beale's second spell at Liverpool, when he had recently returned from Brazilian club Sao Paulo to co-ordinate the academy, and was impressed enough to take him to Ibrox when he was named Rangers manager in 2018. It is clear the decision paid off.
'When I came back from Brazil I was unsure what to do,' said Beale. 'I had offers to be manager in the lower leagues. Then at the end of the season Steven said he was going to Rangers and asked me to come as a coach.
'It was a surprise to me – we were friendly to each other and would say hello but we didn't have a relationship outside that. Yet when we spoke I was really excited by the opportunity.
Beale (second from right) was key to the development of several players in his Liverpool spell
'Steven is very positive, very open. He wants to have a relationship with his players and is open to ideas from his staff. He and (fellow assistant) Gary McAllister have general standards that are higher than those of the normal person, because they've been at the top level for a long time, so what they expect is higher than the average.
'But he has a lot of trust and patience in his staff. He is a coach who likes to stand back and observe, then step in and speak when he thinks it's crucial. He gives me and the other coaches a lot of responsibility on a daily basis.
'He's someone who makes it a management team rather than about himself, and he's willing to delegate to his staff. That shows real strong leadership.
'I've never seen him or Gary frustrated with the players for a technical fault. They were elite level players, national team captains, so they are massive on personal standards. They want people to
