As MAX Power counted down the days before his new team Bradford City’s preseason began this week, his competitive spirit continued to pour.
It was made possible in part by one of his sons, who is showing signs of being just like his father.
Max Junior, Power’s oldest child, is just beginning his football career in the Wigan Athletic academy.
Prior to City returning for training on Monday at their Woodhouse Grove training facility, he frequently went with his father, who had been busy checking himself off during fitness runs.
Power Senior, who will turn 32 at the end of July, is eager to emphasise that there are still a lot more miles to go. He has committed to a three-year contract with the Bantams and claims that his manager, Graham Alexander, has motivated him. He is one of only a select few players in English professional football to reach 1,000 senior career appearances.
It doesn’t feel the same when you’re a player and the fire goes out. Many players appear to recognise this and return for one preseason. I still don’t feel like that.
“I think it helps that I have three kids who are all football crazy, and my oldest son, Max Junior, will be 13 shortly and attending Wigan’s academy.
Although I don’t tell him every day, I think he has a decent chance. Because I don’t let him defeat me in any runs, he keeps me feeling youthful and new.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm and energy. When you reach 30, you truly cherish and try to enjoy these days as much as you can because you feel like you’re not 18 anymore and you never know when your final pre-season will be. This is true whether you’re running up hills in Austria or something else entirely.
“Earlier in my career, I believe I caught the tail end of the traditional preseasons. I believe it has prepared me for my career, to be honest, if you can make it through a Les Parry/Tranmere Rovers preseason.
Power has a Masters in Sport Directorship and has already begun to make plans for the future, even though he still intends to play for a few more seasons.
The former student at Wirral Grammar School is a bright man who has expanded his views by travelling to Saudi Arabia and Denmark and seeing how the football industry functions in other nations.
The young Liverpool fan turned off domestic interest to join Al Qadsiah, which was then led by Anfield great Robbie Fowler, back in the summer of 2023. The former Sunderland and Wigan midfielder continued his career by staying at Aarhus after departing Saudi Arabia.
Power, who was close to Bradford’s head of football operations David Sharpe during their time together at Latics, continued: “I was celebrating my 30th birthday that summer when I travelled to Saudi Arabia.
“At the time, an opportunity to travel to Saudi Arabia arose. Of course, money comes into things and it was a move which would help myself and my family, but aged 30 and after 500 games in England, it was a nice time to go and experience something, especially with the growth of football.”
“I had pretty much agreed to sign for QPR. I remember speaking to Gareth Ainsworth and we had good conversations. I was pretty much set on moving to London.” “At the time, I had just finished my Masters degree in sporting directorship. I felt like it was a great opportunity to look and plan for the future, as well as to see different cultures and how football works.”
“As a Liverpool supporter, Robbie Fowler was also quite alluring since we got to hang out with him, watch how he likes to play, and work on the project together. However, it was kind of a “welcome to the country” when Robbie was fired following seven victories and two draws. However, I had a great experience there until Michel Gonzalez, a Real Madrid icon and a Spanish coach, took over.
“Obviously, I was devastated to see Robbie depart, but I was able to work with another coach after that. In terms of experience, it was invaluable. We completed the task and were promoted, and when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the club’s first acquisition, it was immediately clear what their goals were.
“Aubameyang and Nacho’s arrival made it a little easier to accept, even if I didn’t want to leave.
“I played with them during the preseason and have maintained communication with them. Football is an insane sport that places you in unexpected social groups.
He said as he was leaving for Denmark: “I went via Uwe Rosler and Rob Kelly, the coach I had worked with at Wigan.
Even though I didn’t play as much as I would have liked, playing against some of the best teams in the world—Midtjylland, FC Copenhagen, and Brondby—was an amazing experience in Aarhus.
“I got to experience another way of life again.”
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