Ex-EFL star snubbed Wrexham for Saudi in transfer that slipped under radar
Ronaldo, Neymar, Benzema, Mahrez, Kessie, Mane, Fabinho, Firmino, Milinkovic-Savic, Malcolm, Neves, Kante, Koulibaly, Laporte, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Saint-Maximin…and Max Power.
Underneath the star names that have catapulted the Saudi Pro League onto the football world stage, there is also a different level of player like Power, who made his name at Wigan and Sunderland.
The midfielder became a free agent in the summer, and despite offers from several Championship clubs alongside an interesting one from Wrexham, he chose instead to join Robbie Fowler’s Al Qadsiah.
They are a level below the Pro League, but despite a poor campaign last season, are a club with big ambitions and a new, big name manager in Fowler, which explains Power’s decision to turn his back on English football.
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“Look, any footballer who says it’s not about the money is lying - everyone wants to be valued, so they take the best offer. I’ve got a wife and three children and every decision now is based around them,” is his candid explanation.
“But we’re not talking telephone numbers, I’m not that profile of player. So I had to take a different route - let’s just say that I’ve come to terms with the fact that Jurgen Klopp isn’t going to call now I’m 30.
“Here though, we’re ambitious, Robbie has got a clear plan and a clear philosophy, and the aim absolutely is to get in the Pro League next season. We all believe in it.
“That would give the chance to play against the likes of Ronaldo, Neymar - all those names and who knows, maybe Mo Salah. It really was something I couldn’t turn down.”
Power joins Liverpool icon Robbie Fowler who is manager of the Saudi First Division club (maxpower_6 / Instagram)Power was born in Birkenhead and is a life-long Liverpool fan. His idol as a kid was Steven Gerrard - he is a little too young to remember Fowler in his prime - and grew up wanting to emulate the Anfield great.
Al Qadsiah are based in the same City as Gerrard’s Pro League club Al-Ettifaq, and the prospect of two Scouse greats meeting each other in a local derby next season is mouth-watering, even for an experienced pro.
“Imagine a Fowler-Gerrard derby next season - it would be the biggest game in the Pro League by far! And I reckon that would get some publicity way beyond even the level of interest now,” he said with a smile.
Power is a thoughtful, intelligent footballer with a broad view on life. He is currently studying a Masters degree in Sport Directorship, and realised a while ago the coaching career after his playing days are over is a precarious life.
He also realises there are a lot of questions about playing in a country where freedom is not a given for many people: “I know it can be a controversial subject, and a lot of issues are rightly being discussed, which puts a spotlight on them.
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The former Wigan and Sunderland star says he has enjoyed a warm welcome to the Middle East (maxpower_6 / Instagram)
Al Qadsiah are aiming for promotion to the Saudi Pro League (maxpower_6 / Instagram)“All I can say is, my family, my wife Alex and the kids have had a positive experience. We’ve all been welcomed incredibly warmly, and there are no real differences in culture.”
And he suggests too, it is a chance to view at close range a case study in how an important new venture grows, not just in football but in sports like golf and motor racing.
“I saw one side of it at Wigan - we were paid late six times last season, had a points deduction, so I wanted to look at different options,” he explained.
“When I spoke to Robbie, he convinced me immediately. I looked at the league, at the ambitions to grow and develop into one of the top five leagues in the world by 2030, and you think ‘this is the last chance I have to experience something different like this’.
“What I’ve seen so far is how much everyone has bought into it. I came in as the first overseas signing for the club this summer, to be captain and to set the example.
“And it’s so fulfilling to see all the other players - the local lads, and a big Spanish contingent - really buying into what Robbie has set out to do. We’re under no illusions, the aim is to be promoted.
“That brings pressure…but it really is the pressure we all want, and the atmosphere is buzzing around the club at the moment.”
The standard, Power says, is surprisingly high, but that hasn’t stopped Al Qadsiah topping the league, with three straight wins and a draw (“we should have won that easily!”).
So it is all going to plan for a player who sees the bigger picture, and can provide a down to earth insight on what is really happening in Saudi football. Yet the dreams, like all players deep down, live on.
“As footballers we have to selfishly put ourselves first for the career, so now maybe part of it is to give something back to the family,” he explained.
“We looked at it as a real opportunity to do something different, maybe to gain further experience for a future career. And if my kids can watch me play against some of the world’s best footballers before I retire, then I’ll be happy.”
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