Wednesday 22 March 2017 06:26, UK
Michael Beale has swapped managing Liverpool U23s for Sao Paulo. He tells Sky Sports about his Brazilian adventure...
Michael Beale is doing things differently. After working at the Chelsea and Liverpool youth academies, nurturing some of the Premier League's most exciting young talent, the 36-year-old has taken his next step on the path to management - by moving to Brazil.
The highly-rated coach was in charge of Liverpool's U23s earlier this season, working with Jurgen Klopp to develop the Reds' stars of the future, such as Ben Woodburn, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Wilson.
However, a chance meeting with the iconic goal-scoring goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni last September set him on an unusual path.
The former Brazil international was in England touring Premier League clubs, aiming to learn from their approach to coaching. After a visit to Liverpool's academy, he sat down with Beale for lunch to discuss football philosophies. Two hours later they were still talking.
Beale expressed his desire to learn a second language and experience football in other countries. By November he'd had an offer from Ceni to move to Brazil and become his assistant manager at South American giants Sao Paulo. After visiting the club, Beale realised it was an offer too good to turn down.
"This job came out of the blue," Beale told Sky Sports from Brazil. "I'd spent 10 years at Chelsea, working through the ages, and then I had four-and-a-half years at Liverpool. I wasn't looking to leave.
"But I'm not at the top of the mountain, I'm still trying to climb it, so when I saw the facilities at Sao Paulo, the stadium and heard what Rogerio wanted me to do, I thought I'd regret not taking the challenge.
"He's an icon at the club. He played for Sao Paulo for 24 years, making over 1,200 appearances and scoring over 130 goals. It's like Steven Gerrard getting the Liverpool job or Ryan Giggs taking over at Manchester United. I loved the Liverpool experience but maybe I'd come to the end of the cycle there. It was time to challenge myself."
It's a route few English coaches would consider, let alone follow. Language and cultural differences form a barrier for starters.
But with an eagerness to learn new skills, a desire to develop and a feeling opportunities at home were limited, Beale has thrown himself into the experience, moving his young family to Brazil.
"Football in England is unique. It's only played that way in England," he said. "In other leagues in the world the game is different. For my own discovery, I wanted to learn how South Americans see the game, why they're so composed and what it is about their techniques that make them successful.
"I also wanted to live in a different culture, to pick up a second language and prepare myself for the next challenge. Plus, I think it's very difficult for a young English coach to get a manager's job.
"I have no doubt I'd be able to move down to League One or League Two or even the Championship and be a manager with the experience I've had but are there the opportunities to do that?
"At Chelsea, I saw Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Andre Villas-Boas and Carlo Ancelotti, and they all spoke a second language. It hit home to me that's something you have to pick up as you go through your career if you want to work at the top level.
"I started to learn Spanish, so I could tell a player to turn, stop, press, pass forward and so on. I'd try to speak to the likes of Sergi Canos in their native language.
"I've found since I've come to Brazil that Spanish and Portuguese isn't as close as everybody thinks! It's been OK on the training pitch - it's going to supermarkets and restaurants that have been difficult.
"But I'm looking at this experience as a journey. We're not obsessed by languages in England and I think it holds us back across many industries. It's the same for English players who aren't willing to go outside of the country and develop themselves.
We're not obsessed by languages in England and I think it holds us back across many industries.
"I was reading recently about Gareth Bale and he thinks going to Real Madrid has developed him, not only as a football player but as a person.
"The Premier League is the richest league in the world, therefore the opportunities for young English players and coaches are limited. To go outside and learn about these players that are coming into our league, who are top players, has been fascinating."
Thrilling, too. While Premier League fanbases are renowned for their devotion to their clubs, the passion of the supporters in Brazil are on a different level, says Beale.
Sao Paulo are one of the most popular clubs in the country and the appointment of club legend Ceni as manager, combined with an impressive start to the 2017 season, has fired up the fans.
"We went to the north of the country recently for a cup game and there were 15,000 people at the airport," says Beale. "The coach was then stuck in the middle of the road with fans shaking the bus and going crazy.
"We then went to play Santos, about 80km away, and no away fans were allowed at the ground, but that didn't stop them all turning up at our hotel to welcome us! It's a huge fanbase and it's a completely different type of passion to what I've experienced at home.
"Obviously when Liverpool have been successful under Brendan Rodgers and Klopp they've been welcomed into the stadium and that's a big event in England because it's not the norm. But here it's every game."
Beale is revelling in his new role. Working with top South American players, in particular, is proving rewarding. But the end goal remains to return to England some day in the future and put his skills to test as a first-team manager in the Premier League.
"Things are going very well here," he said. "In the future I'd love to come back and be a manager in the Premier League but we know how difficult that is.
"Look at my ex-colleague Paul Clement and the journey he had to make to get this opportunity at Swansea. I'm not sure he'd have got that opportunity if he'd stayed as Chelsea's U23 coach. You have to go out and develop yourself. I'd love to see more English coaches take the same journey."
For now, Beale is a modern day pioneer. It will be intriguing to see how his South American adventure helps him climb that mountain.
