Michael Beale: Former Rangers, Sunderland and QPR boss realising 'biggest ambition' managing in Europe with Belgium's Zulte Waregem

It's now just a brief bike ride along quiet Belgian streets from his home to the training ground and stadium but for Michael Beale it has been a winding journey to realise his "biggest ambition" of managing a club in Europe.

The former QPR, Rangers and Sunderland boss will take charge of his first game in over two years on Sunday when he oversees Zulte Waregem's Belgian Pro League opener at home to title challengers Genk.

It's a different challenge to what he has faced previously as a head coach, or in roles assisting Steven Gerrard in Scotland, England and Saudi Arabia, or working in Brazil at Sao Paulo. But it is one he has long wanted to take on.

"It was always a big ambition of mine to go and coach in Europe. It was the biggest ambition when I started coaching," said Beale, the former Chelsea and Liverpool youth team coach, who has worked with Gerrard at Al Ettifaq and then as a consultant since he was last in the dugout as a manager in February 2024.

• Download the Sky Sports app | Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp

There had been other offers to return to management before now but Beale says he saw this opening in West Flanders -in a Belgian Pro League with a growing reputation - as the right opportunity.

"Having been here two months already, I really think it's a good decision," he tells Sky Sports from Zulte Waregem's stadium, where preparations for the kick-off to their 25th-anniversary season are well under way.

"Obviously, the season is upon us now and we're into the business side of it where the results will dictate. But in terms of the way the club works and how I feel in the city and inside the club, I couldn't be happier."

Last season Zulte Waregem finished 13th. Their track record of buying, developing and then selling on young talent has proved profitable but this is a situation removed from the must-win environment Beale has previously experienced at Ibrox.

European qualification is an aim in the medium term and Beale says he is "hugely ambitious" but the immediate priority is progress in a league where Zulte Waregem are up against opposition sides with more financial muscle.

"Make no bones about it, this is a really, really tough job in a tough league and we are the have-nots, if you like," said Beale. "There are other clubs that people are looking at in terms of bigger finances, bigger expectations, but that's a great challenge.

"Having success for this club is continually pushing onwards. The club would like to go back to Europe. That's a little bit in the distance right now.

"The quicker we can get there, the better for me, for the players and also the fans and the club. But this year is about pushing on from last season. Obviously I'm hugely ambitious and want to see how far I can take that."

Beale has dived into the challenge during an eight-week pre-season, setting up base near to the club's training ground, where he has been working long hours before spending summer evenings in the city of Waregem speaking with supporters.

It's a lifestyle he's relishing after travelling the globe watching football during his time away from management.

"I spent a few months travelling and visiting different clubs and learning and growing my ideas, but what was the ultimate aim of all of that? It was to be back in a job that I could really get my teeth into, really have to put a lot of energy and focus into," he says.

An unbeaten pre-season has generated positivity and Beale is now eager to show the club's supporters on Sunday there will be an exciting campaign ahead.

"It's all been about waiting for this first game this weekend against Genk," says Beale. "I know there's another 33 after it, but your focus really does drill into the first game.

"All the hopes of everybody and wanting to put a team on the pitch that shows a good face at the weekend... It's going to be a tough game for us but certainly, here at home, we expect with our fans behind us to create problems for everybody."

After Genk, it's a trip to another title hopeful in Union Saint-Gilloise. A testing start to the season. But a challenge Beale is eager to tackle.

"I'm living my dream," he says when asked if he has a point to prove to his critics after his short stint at Sunderland. "I'm living what I wanted to live, so it's important that I enjoy it as well and not think too much about any outside noise.

"This is what I wanted to do, be a head coach managing in Europe. There are not enough British coaches doing it so I feel really privileged to have the opportunity and that's why I've jumped right into it, head first.

"I don't see it as work. It's my passion. So what a privilege it is to be an English coach taking a Belgian team in the Belgian league this weekend."

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Michael Beale: Former Rangers, Sunderland and QPR boss realising 'biggest ambition' managing in Europe with Belgium's Zulte Waregem