Canadian co-owner Steve Nijjar celebrates Racing Madrid’s promotion in Spain

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When Canadian Steve Nijjar helped resurrect the long-defunct Racing Madrid soccer club, it had no players, no fans and no stadium.

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“We had zero,” he said.

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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.

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“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.

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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.

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

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

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.”

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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

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