Hwang Eui-jo, a striker of the national soccer team who joined FC Seoul last winter, laughed, saying, “He’s just a Korean,” when the story of foreign veteran Osmar (35, Spain) came out. Osmar is more than an outsider to a star player who has just joined the team and represents Korea.

He moved to Seoul from Buriram United (Thailand) in 2014 and entered the K-League, and has been wearing a dark red uniform for 9 seasons this year. Except for a short-term loan transfer to Cerezo Osaka (Japan) in 2018, he spent his prime as a ‘Seoul Man’, and was already in his twilight years as a player.

At the end of last year, he participated in a C-level leadership training session in Korea, not even in Spain, his home country. He himself revealed his aspirations, “I want to become the manager of FC Seoul in the future.” Even in his second life after his retirement as a player, Seoul is his biggest motivation.

Osmar, who plays a key role in tactics no matter which coach comes, is the heart of the rear build-up even under the current head coach Ahn Ik-soo. In the 2023 season K League 1 round 2 away match against Gwangju FC on the 5th, he scored a preemptive header in the 13th minute of the second half, leading the team to a 2-0 victory.

A class that doesn’t change even with a lot of age. It goes along with excellent self-care. Not only is he a model for young players in Seoul, but veterans such as Ki Sung-yong and Hwang Ui-jo, who have played in the big leagues, also have respect for Osmar.

Osmar met with a reporter last month in Kagoshima, Japan, the second winter training ground in Seoul to prepare for the new season, and brought up the story of ’18-year-old Osmar’ who changed his soccer life. He came to the first team stage in 2009 as a native of Spain’s La Liga Racing Santander Youth. Since then, he has played 13 La Liga matches in three seasons.

It is said that until his adult stage debut, Osmar was left alone due to his family circumstances. He said, “I was loaned to the Salamanca B team (from Racing) at the age of 18. At that time, he did well and returned to the Racing B team. But since I was alone, I did my own thing. He didn’t know how to cook, so he went to McDonald’s two or three times a week for a hamburger. He didn’t even know it was bad at the time. Then, when he had to challenge the first team, he saw some veteran players and felt that my life was not right.”

The biggest inspiration was Pedro Munitis, who came from Racing and helped Real Madrid win La Liga, Champions League and Super Cup in the early 2000s. After playing for Real Madrid, Munitis returned to his former club Racing in 2006 and retired in 2012.

Osmar said, “Munitis was 34-35 at the time, and he was the most professional player I’ve ever seen. He ate mostly organic food and paid a lot of attention to his body fat. He recalled, “Even during training, he always fights in front and actively puts in tackles.” He said, “At that time, there was a culture of playing together, such as going to a casino right after training with players of the same age. But I changed my mind watching veterans like Munitis on and off the pitch. I was convinced that I could make a long run by creating my own healthy routine.”

Eating habits and training attitude are important, but the key to creating a healthy routine for yourself is ‘mental’. He said, “A strong mental is involved in every muscle in the body. It’s not made overnight. I meditated, read, reviewed my day, and repeated what was wrong and what should be improved tomorrow.”메이저놀이터

He also said, “I once read a war book about how to win a war. The strategy of my soccer life through that book is to hide myself as much as possible,” he said. “Especially, I try to hide my negative parts from young players. I felt that giving good energy to them as much as possible gives strength to the entire team.”