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Times have changed. In May, the team won promotion to the Spanish fifth-tier in Nijjar’s third season at the helm.

“But to be honest, I consider it my second season because first year we had no idea what was going on. We’d just brought the club back to life,” he said.

For Nijjar, it’s just the start of the journey. The former goalkeeper, coach, boxer, gym owner, bodyguard, actor and movie producer has his eyes set on La Liga, Spain’s top-tier home to the likes of star-studded Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. 

But first things first. Even the fifth tier of Spanish soccer presents a challenge.

“It’s a different level,” Nijjar said. “Now we’re going to be playing against the reserve teams of Leganés, the C team of Atletico Madrid, the reserve team of Rayo Vallecano.”

A roster upgrade is in the works. Nijjar, who has already re-signed the Racing Madrid captain, only plans to bring back four or five players from last season.

“The rest of the players will be all new,” he said.

Nijjar, from Nobleton, Ont., originally came to Madrid to accompany his youngest son Tejpal, a goalkeeper who is in Rayo Vallecano’s academy. While there, his son’s adviser Morris Pagniello, an Italian-Australian FIFA agent, introduced him to Racing Murcia, a team in the fifth tier of Spanish soccer.

Nijjar was convinced to become Murcia’s president but eventually stepped away — while retaining an ownership stake — because the team was three hours away from Madrid and he felt he wasn’t close enough to do the job justice. But he said he was open to another lower-division soccer option closer to home.

Founded in 1914, Racing Madrid went out of business in 1932. It got a new lease on life when Nijjar and Pagniello bought sixth-tier club Cenafe Club for sale and decided to rebrand it Racing Madrid, not knowing there had been a franchise with that same name that had folded decades before.

With promotion comes a new home. The club is moving to a city stadium in Alcobendas, a suburb of Madrid, with Nijjar hoping to attract 3,000 to 4,000 fans per game when the season starts in late August.

Nijjar, who spends 10 months a year in Spain, is looking to partner with a La Liga club with an eye to sharing talent. He also wants to start a residency program for players 13 and older.

“I’m very pleased with the progress,” Nijjar said of the club. “It’s not been easy but it’s exactly what I wanted to do … And we’ll continue our journey.”

Nijjar, whose life story is told in a 2021 documentary titled “Anatomy of a Warrior: The Steve Nijjar Story,” is currently working on a documentary series on Racing Madrid called “Racing to Madrid.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2025