A truly global soccer player striving to bring an excellent blogging experience.
Max Sakae Ogawa
Hey there
ABOUT MAX OGAWA
I'm finding my way in the world as a footballer and you are invited to join me on the journey. Here is everything you wanted to know about playing football in Spain and beyond. I've graduated from IE University Madrid and I also play football (soccer) as a midfielder. After 5 seasons in Madrid, it's time to set my sights further afield.
It's exhilerating and challenging. And I can guarantee it's never boring.
About Playing soccer
Some key facts about playing footbal land about me
- Nickname: Zip
- DOB: 4 October, 2002
- Citizenship: Australian, Japanese
- Current football team:
- See upcoming matches
- My current team bio
I have travelled the world in pursuit of my dream to play football with the best. Of course it’s unavoidable if you were born down under and want to pursue the “World Game”.
7 Years in Madrid
My football life is about much more than football. So if you would like to know what it is like being an international student in Madrid or the USA or any aspect of my life such as getting a driving licence or finding a place to stay you'll find lots of tips here.
About University
Sport is not a separate realm insulated from the rest of society. It is a social institution that reflects and influences the values, norms, ideologies, and power relations of the broader culture.
Jay CoakleyAuthor
University of North Carolina State, Raleigh
2025-2026 Season kicks off in my new home in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Sports Management program looks like such a great fit for me as sport is at the intersection of economics, politics and culture and I feel a great next step to augment my degree in International Relations.
Subjects are locked in for the semester.
IE University, Madrid
Just graduated! The spectacular international university and private business school based downtown in Madrid and the UNESCO-heritage listed site in Segovia, IE University opened a brand new tower in my first year and it is nothing short of amazing. The language of instruction is English and Spanish and my degree was International Relations. If you would like to know more about IE University I recommend you start by Registering for their Open House program for prospective students and families.
Living the dream
Chasing my dream of playing football is more than stacking up frequent flier miles. Even though I have been to some amazing places, like Brazil, Japan, Belgium, Italy, England, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and of course my current home, America. Because, well, it’s football!
I’ve travelled a lot, I’ve travelled far, and I’ve often travelled alone.
So welcome to my blog. If you want to know how I got to where I am today or if you’re interested in playing football in Spain or the USA then you’ve come to the right place.
Passion and purpose
To stay in the football life (geographically and mentally) I need a bottomless reservoir of passion and purpose. However, it doesn’t exist naturally. So I need to top these up daily which takes that elusive substance, grit. And I’m going to share with you how I do it.
While everyday is an opportunity to rise to the challenge, everyday is also a new chance to test my grit, to be nurtured or crushed in my ego or spirit.
There is hard work involved but not all hard work is productive. I want to share with you how I identify and target growth areas to keep myself going in the right direction.
I have lots of stories to share about playing football in Spain and I don’t take myself too seriously. Let me know if you enjoy my blog and can use these insights to realize your own dreams.
About my blog
Here you’ll find quotable quotes from my football coaches, teachers or friends. Some of the lessons of playing football in Spain over the past 7 years are inspirational and some are aspirational. So, I won’t gloss over the hard stuff.
And the reason for this blog is because I want to share the advice I wished I had growing up while pursing my sporting dream against the odds.
There have been a lot of obstacles, challenges and difficulties. For starters every birthday since I turned 16 (and quite a few Christmases) has been in another country while my family are in Japan, America, Singapore and Australia.
Playing football in Spain
Learn how I balanced what look like competing priorities to be a more robust person, player and team member.
I have been so fortunate to play in the Tercera Division in La Liga, Spain. It is hard for a foreigner in Spain to get into a team and then to get playing time. And life had it's fair share of ups and downs. After 7 years, I was only 22 years old before moving on to the next opportunity.
Playing football in Spain, or anywhere for that matter, is not an easy undertaking. I have so many stories - as it is never dull.
You can look forward to an eventful season of updates, tips and insights.
Welcome - sending virtual hugs
Reach out and connect, follow or comment. I'm sharing from a very personal place and I hope you can share your journey too. Make suggestions if there's a topic you'd like to know more about.
If you have questions about playing football in Spain, you know where to find me. I'll do my best to help.
Max Ogawa, new player of CD Torrijos
Click here for the full story.
Talavera B draws in 98 to Torrijos (2-2)
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Go to the News Page for more TV, radio interviews and media.
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