When Youri Tielemans' opener hit the back of the net during Aston Villa's 3-0 Europa League victory over Freiburg in Istanbul, every substitute on the bench queued to embrace one man — Scottish coach Austin MacPhee. Goalkeeper Emi Martinez bypassed his outfield team-mates entirely, sprinting to the dugout to show his gratitude in person. Villa supporters chanted MacPhee's name as the final whistle approached.

Head coach Unai Emery called him a "fantastic creator." Striker Ollie Watkins praised his "courage." Captain John McGinn, his compatriot, described him simply as a "great set-piece coach."

From amateur football to the world stage

MacPhee's path through the game has been anything but conventional. As a player, he progressed from Forfar Athletic's youth ranks to US college football with the Wilmington Seahawks, then moved on to Romania and Japan. His coaching journey began at community level, guiding Cupar Hearts to the Scottish Amateur Cup final before stints at Cowdenbeath, St Mirren, Hearts, and a formative year at Danish club Midtjylland — widely regarded as a breeding ground for set-piece specialists.

While juggling roles in Scotland, MacPhee simultaneously ran a sports travel firm, owned a community football club, and scouted for Mexico at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The breadth of that experience speaks to a coach who has never followed a straight line.

He played a crucial role in Northern Ireland's historic qualification for Euro 2016 under Michael O'Neill, who defended MacPhee against criticism at the time: "Austin brings a high level of knowledge on the opposition, a creative way to train and he's creative in how he brings information to the players," O'Neill said.

A record-breaking set-piece record at Villa Park

It is his five-year tenure at Aston Villa that has cemented MacPhee's reputation. In the 2023-24 season, Villa scored more goals from set-pieces than any other club across Europe's top five leagues. The following campaign, only four clubs in those same divisions surpassed their total. In the most recent season, they matched Arsenal for the highest set-piece goal tally.

MacPhee achieves these results through hours on the training pitch, detailed video analysis, and homework sent directly to players' phones in the form of animations and tactical graphics. After the Europa League final, Emery said: "Congratulations to Austin too, he's very good at his job and we work very closely. He has so much experience and we know exactly what we are doing."

Portugal's secret weapon at the World Cup

MacPhee joined Roberto Martinez's Portugal coaching staff in February 2024, five months after stepping down from his role with Steve Clarke's Scotland — a position he had left to care for his ill father. He had helped Scotland qualify for Euro 2024 during his three years with the national side, though the partnership ended with a touchline dispute during the tournament in Germany that Clarke addressed with characteristic dry wit: "He's got long blonde hair, but I'm not going to give him a cuddle."

With Portugal facing Spain in the World Cup last 16 on Monday, 6 July in Dallas (20:00 BST), the 46-year-old from Kirkcaldy could yet prove to be the tournament's most unlikely match-winner — not on the pitch, but from the dugout, clipboard in hand.