SEOUL, South Korea — JUST AS HE is the thinking man’s footballer on the pitch, Osmar Ibáñez — or simply, Osmar — is a pensive, almost erudite, character off it.

Smartly dressed in a sweater and shirt combination on a chilly autumn day in the capital city, and with a non-fiction book in hand, he could easily have passed off as a scholarly individual while on the subway before he alighted at Seongsu Station.

For those who are, however, familiar with South Korean football, there would not have been a case of mistake identity.

Osmar was born and raised along Spain’s northern coast in Santoña and came through the ranks of Racing Santander, even notching 13 LaLiga appearances along the way.

For a decade now, he has called South Korea his home.

He has tasted K League and Korea Cup glory — the former coming in the season he made history by becoming the first foreign captain of FC Seoul, one of the country’s traditional powerhouses.

But at the end of last season, a new, exciting chapter began in what looms as the third and final act of Osmar’s storied career in Asia.

DESPITE SOUTH KOREA being his home since 2015, it was not Osmar’s first port of call in the continent.

In the middle of 2012, he found himself in a situation that, in his own words, “was not good”.

He had already turned professional but was the fourth or fifth-choice centre-back in a Santander team that were struggling. He matter-of-factly opines that, at the time, getting the right deal or move boiled down more to who had the better agent or connections rather than actual ability.

As he was preparing for what was likely to be another season of struggles, the unlikeliest of escape routes emerged: Thailand.

Buriram United, like all of Thai football, has come a long way in the past decade. They are now regarded as one of Asia’s rising forces and are often matching it with some of the traditional heavyweights.

Back then, few outside of Southeast Asia might have been aware they even existed, let alone all the way over in Europe.

“I always thought it (playing abroad) would be (in) somewhere like Russia, Greece or Turkey,” Osmar told ESPN in a one-on-one interview. “I didn’t even know there was football in Thailand!

“That’s the mistake we make in Europe — we never consider Asia.”

It was midway through a Thai League 1 season that would eventually see Buriram relinquish their crown to Muangthong United, at a time when the duo dominated the competition over an extended period.

Buriram were in desperate need of reinforcements at the back and up front. For the former, they plumped for Osmar, which led to the start of an unforgettable experience for the Spaniard.

The Thai capital of Bangkok, where Osmar first landed to sign on the dotted line, was lively and modern enough. The city municipality of Buriram was a far different story.

“It was a big shock for sure,” he recalls. “It’s just nature!

“I didn’t speak English then but it was not like the local teammates spoke English. They brought me to a night market and, all of a sudden, an elephant just walked past!

“But I soon realised — I was there. I wasn’t going anywhere. I couldn’t go back to Spain – this was the only option. I had to go for it.”

Yet, Thai football — even Southeast Asia, as a whole — is notoriously unforgiving. Sweeping changes in a club’s foreign contingent is fairly common if they are deemed to be underperforming.

Just because Osmar was determined to stay did not necessarily mean that would be the case if he failed to adapt to his new, vastly-different surroundings.

Then, on debut against a formidable Chonburi outfit in an FA Cup tie, Osmar expertly negated the threat of Pipob On-mo — then one of the deadliest strikers in Thailand. Chuckling as he relived that sliding-doors moment, he said: “Straight away, everyone went ‘he’s good!'”

Osmar’s stint with Buriram would only last for two-and-a-half seasons but he would lift every piece of domestic silverware on offer.

He retains fond memories of his time there and the friendships he made, singling out Ekkachai Sumrei — one of the lower-profile stalwarts of Thai football — as the first one who really went out of his way to welcome Osmar despite the language barrier.

“He probably doesn’t know just how much he did for me,” said Osmar, with a tinge of emotion and gratitude in his voice.

It was also that first leap of faith in moving to Thailand then would pave the way for the next two acts.

WITH SIX TITLES to their name, FC Seoul are the third most-successful team in K League 1 history.

Excluding Osmar’s time in the Santander academy, FC Seoul was the club he has spent most of his life at.

As the last captain to lead them to K League 1 glory, in addition to being their first overseas skipper, he has inevitably become a legend of the club.

Then came the moment, that is always inevitable yet never expected when it does eventually arrive, when he was no longer indispensable.

Unsurprisingly for a man with plenty of perspective, Osmar speaks about the end of his time with FC Seoul with no disgruntlement or grudge whatsoever.

“Everything happened really fast,” he explained. “I thought I was going to stay at FC Seoul a little longer.

“Then the process started where — you’re not playing as much, you’re not as important anymore, younger players are coming through.”

Osmar reveals that he came close to moving to the Malaysia Super League. An agreement had been reached but the paperwork never arrived.

Then, as talk emerged that he was on the market, Seoul E-Land came knocking.

“When I was leaving FC Seoul, my wife and I were thinking about the kids and their schooling, and not changing our personal lives too much,” he said. “E-Land were one of the clubs that could provide that.

“Once we made contact, it all happened very fast. When someone wants you that much, it’s better to go there.

Seoul E-Land have a wonderfully intriguing backstory. They are owned by the conglomerate E-Land Group, who themselves started out as a humble, single-outlet clothing store in 1980.

The company’s ambition now sees it involved in a myriad of ventures including theme parks, hotels and construction, and it is this same drive that has now led to Seoul E-Land — only founded in 2014 — on the precipice of the top flight of South Korean football.

With one game left to play in the campaign, they are second in K League 2. They cannot catch FC Anyang, who will be promoted automatically, but they can give themselves the best chance to follow the newly-crowned second-tier champions up.

Should they hold on to second spot, they will face the 11th-placed K League 1 team in an outright duel for promotion-relegation.

If they slip down to third, it will be a more convoluted route which would involve two sudden-death ties — against the winner of a playoff between the fourth and fifth-placed teams in K League 2, and then the actual decider against the K League 1’s 10th-placed team.

The stark contrast between vying for silverware and gunning for promotion is not lost on Osmar, although even lifting the K League 2 trophy would have been a thrill of him.

“Obviously, when things go your way, it validates your past decisions — and the decision (to join E-Land) has turned out better than expected,” he stated. “I even think it could have been even better.

“There were a few games in the season, and the team is a little young, but if we could have managed the emotions better or been more calm … one month ago, I was convinced we would win the league. I pictured myself lifting the trophy but this is still a big step for everyone involved at the club.

“E-Land is just ten years old but I see they want to get better and better. And, not just for myself but the people at this club, they deserve it (promotion).

“This is different to when I was fighting for trophies but it still feels good.”

And while Osmar is now at Seoul E-Land, he half-jokingly identified some former foes from his time with FC Seoul that he would not mind inflicting more misery on — with the likes of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Incheon United potential opponents in the promotion-relegation playoffs.

With a cheeky grin, he added: “It’s also kind of exciting to think — Jeonbuk or Incheon — which old enemy can I bring down. It’s not just for our own promotion — there’s an extra bonus!”

FOR SOMEONE WHO evidently puts much thought into whatever crosses his mind, Osmar is aware that his days as a footballer will not be forever.

In fact, he is conscious of the fact that he is closer to the end than the beginning — and he’s fine with that.

He will play on in 2025 — having triggered a contract extension with Seoul E-Land — yet, rather than look at next year as potentially his final season as a player, the 36-year-old is relishing the prospect of going out on his terms.

“There is no player who is ever ready to retire,” he mused. “We’ve been so lucky to follow our passion. It’s the only life we’ve known since we were kids.

“I’d like to think I’m getting ready — trying to prepare myself because I think it’s going to be hard for sure. For now, my condition is still good but I always think that I don’t want to reach a stage where I’m suffering on the pitch. I want to stop right before that.”

There is a myriad of exciting opportunities that could arise once Osmar hangs up his boots.

He constantly talks about how the focus remains ensuring his two children grow up in the best environment for them. His wife’s own ambition of teaching Spanish could be the main factor behind their next life decision. He is taking his coaching license and reveals that, even when he is watching the Premier League on television, he is already analysing and imagining what he would do as a coach in different match situations.

When the moment does eventually come, would Osmar look back with immense pride on all that he achieved — even if it might not be what he had envisioned all those years ago as a fledgling footballer who never thought he would find himself in plying his trade in Asia?

“I’m quite proud, to be honest,” he concluded. “My brain has this little feeling that I could have reached (a) higher (level) in Europe.

“I truly believe I did my best according to the environment I found myself in. I don’t think I was made for that first team (at Racing). Whereas, if I had found another philosophy or a different style (of football), then I could have developed more.

“I’ve always done a lot of thinking, less running or pressing. I’m not the fastest or strongest, but I can see things in my head. And, this style, I only developed on my own once I started playing.

“So I do have this wondering of ‘what if’. Again, you never know what would have happened. If I signed for another club, maybe I would have gotten injured and never played anymore.

“So, for the environment I found myself in, I can’t complain.

“I will never be able to tell my kids, my wife or my teammates that I’ll win. I cannot promise results but I can always try.

“I never disrespected football. I’ve played with players that were so talented but who didn’t care about football. They didn’t respect their teammates and got lazy … they didn’t realise how lucky there were.

“I chose football (as a career) so who could I not show respect to my own decision? I was always loyal to my decision, I gave it my best and, for that, I’m proud.”

The pride in his own displays which Osmar holds himself to will certainly be a key driving force in the weeks to come, as he looks to seal a return to the top flight of South Korean football.

For all the thinking he does, maybe even Osmar did not see this coming – especially after the trophy-chasing exploits that occupied the earlier years of his career.

Yet, as he now carves a new legacy playing for an ambitious club that essentially started out as a clothing shop, Osmar has somehow found the perfect fit for the third and final act to his time playing in Asia.