During the filming of Goal, lead actor John Abraham felt the need to get into the best shape possible and boost his stamina. He was also quite concerned about his other co-stars like Arshad Warsi as well.

Being the perfectionist that he is, John insisted having on having Hollywood's strength guru and actor Russel Crowe's coach and personal trainer Mike Ryan be called in to help the cast. Ryan had trained Crowe for his role in the blockbuster Gladiator. The producers complied. According to John, Mike was instrumental in getting the cast into shape as football players. He was with the cast in London for the entire schedule and helped them get into shape. He would train all the actors in the morning before the shoot. He even helped John build his own physique. According to reports, John was pretty depressed after Salman's comments on his physique. He had hit the gym with a vengeance. Soon thereafter he met Mike through a common friend in Los Angeles. John came back thoroughly impressed with Ryan's body of work and the kind of detailing and effort that he puts into his work. So when they were looking for someone to help get the cast into shape for Goal, John suggested Mike's name.