OSMAR BARBA: The Interview
(Ross Davis spoke to Seoul's Osmar Barba ahead of the new K League season....)
The retirement of FC Seoul’s defensive stalwart Adilson dos Santos left a gaping hole in the backline of the 2013 AFC Champions League runners-up. So in comes left-footed Spanish defender Osmar Ibañez Barba, known as simply Osmar on the pitch. He is a highly rated centre back that can boast a powerful long-range shot, as well as a deft touch from the penalty spot. FC Seoul are hopeful that he will be the ideal replacement for the much-loved Brazilian.
Osmar, 25, began his career at Racing Santander, but made a decision to leave the Spanish leagues and move out to Asia. He spent two very successful seasons in Thailand at Buriram United, winning the Thai Premier league last season and he was twice an FA Cup winner.
He was an integral part in Buriram United’s debut campaign in the AFC CL group stage, leading the team in goals and also captaining the side. The Thai club unexpectedly became the first team from their country to reach the knockout round in a decade, with two draws with FC Seoul in the group stage along the way. They would eventually go out in the quarter finals to Uzbek side Bunyodkor 2-1 on aggregate.
Osmar debuted for FC Seoul this week against the Central Coast Mariners, and just like he did for Buriram United last season, Osmar was on the scoresheet in the Champions League opener. He executed a perfect unsavable penalty, in off the post to open the scoring, as Seoul ran out 2-0 winners in what was a very impressive debut for the Spaniard against the Australian outfit.
It is clear FC Seoul have signed a very talented centre back, and one who was kind enough to answer our questions about the forthcoming season and his view on football in Asia.
How are you settling in at FC Seoul?
My settling in is very easy because of my teammates and all the staff. They are very kind with me so it's easier to build good relationships.
How does it feel to be the first Spaniard to play in K league Classic?
I want to know what are my limits. So I came to the perfect place to test myself.
Did playing against FC Seoul in the AFC last season influence your decision to come here?
Yes, it did. When I saw how they play, what they have got and how big the club was, it became my new challenge.
FC Seoul has lost their captain and top scorer from last season, how do you rate the team's chances for success this year?
They were important players, but we have to keep working without them and trust the players we have now and build a team as strong as possible to bring success to this club.
It's a World Cup year so the league will take a two month break in May, will that affect a lot of teams performances?
Perhaps, it's a long break for the league and I prefer to play the whole season through, but it could also be good for the second leg of the season.
Do you think Spain will win and complete the World Cup double?
I would like it and I will support them, but I think it's going to be more difficult than the last one because there are many strong teams, like Brazil who are playing at home, Germany is one of the strongest, Italy, Argentina....Anyway I bet that Spain will be the winner
Who are your role models in football?
My favourite player was Zidane and today I like players like Xavi, Xabi Alonso or Andres Iniesta.
What attracted you to come play in Asia?
In Spain the football is getting worse and worse because of money and also because there are some people within the clubs who have a lot of power and that means in some cases that the right players don’t always get to play at a higher level. Those are the reasons why many Spaniards are going abroad to play. For me Asia was an exotic challenge where I could keep learning and improving my skills
Your former team have been drawn against K League Classic champions Pohang Steelers and Diego Forlan's Cervezo Osaka. Do you give them any chance of progress to the knockout stage?
My best wishes are for my former team and hope to play against them whenever possible in the AFC Champions League because it is a special place for me.
How do you rate your own team's chances of going one better than last year and claiming AFC Champions League glory?
This is one of the biggest teams in Asia so we have to work hard to keep that role. Although is going to be very difficult because there are many good teams and many of them got stronger with new players so is going to be a hard and beautiful to play against them. As footballers we have to face up to these challenges as best as we can.
You can follow @OsmarBarba on Twitter or visit the Seoul World Cup stadium on the 8th March for the K League Classic season opener: FC Seoul vs Jeonnam Dragons 4:00PM.
Interview by Ross Davis.
The retirement of FC Seoul’s defensive stalwart Adilson dos Santos left a gaping hole in the backline of the 2013 AFC Champions League runners-up. So in comes left-footed Spanish defender Osmar Ibañez Barba, known as simply Osmar on the pitch. He is a highly rated centre back that can boast a powerful long-range shot, as well as a deft touch from the penalty spot. FC Seoul are hopeful that he will be the ideal replacement for the much-loved Brazilian.
Osmar, 25, began his career at Racing Santander, but made a decision to leave the Spanish leagues and move out to Asia. He spent two very successful seasons in Thailand at Buriram United, winning the Thai Premier league last season and he was twice an FA Cup winner.
He was an integral part in Buriram United’s debut campaign in the AFC CL group stage, leading the team in goals and also captaining the side. The Thai club unexpectedly became the first team from their country to reach the knockout round in a decade, with two draws with FC Seoul in the group stage along the way. They would eventually go out in the quarter finals to Uzbek side Bunyodkor 2-1 on aggregate.
Osmar debuted for FC Seoul this week against the Central Coast Mariners, and just like he did for Buriram United last season, Osmar was on the scoresheet in the Champions League opener. He executed a perfect unsavable penalty, in off the post to open the scoring, as Seoul ran out 2-0 winners in what was a very impressive debut for the Spaniard against the Australian outfit.
It is clear FC Seoul have signed a very talented centre back, and one who was kind enough to answer our questions about the forthcoming season and his view on football in Asia.
How are you settling in at FC Seoul?
My settling in is very easy because of my teammates and all the staff. They are very kind with me so it's easier to build good relationships.
How does it feel to be the first Spaniard to play in K league Classic?
I want to know what are my limits. So I came to the perfect place to test myself.
Did playing against FC Seoul in the AFC last season influence your decision to come here?
Yes, it did. When I saw how they play, what they have got and how big the club was, it became my new challenge.
FC Seoul has lost their captain and top scorer from last season, how do you rate the team's chances for success this year?
They were important players, but we have to keep working without them and trust the players we have now and build a team as strong as possible to bring success to this club.
It's a World Cup year so the league will take a two month break in May, will that affect a lot of teams performances?
Perhaps, it's a long break for the league and I prefer to play the whole season through, but it could also be good for the second leg of the season.
Do you think Spain will win and complete the World Cup double?
I would like it and I will support them, but I think it's going to be more difficult than the last one because there are many strong teams, like Brazil who are playing at home, Germany is one of the strongest, Italy, Argentina....Anyway I bet that Spain will be the winner
Who are your role models in football?
My favourite player was Zidane and today I like players like Xavi, Xabi Alonso or Andres Iniesta.
What attracted you to come play in Asia?
In Spain the football is getting worse and worse because of money and also because there are some people within the clubs who have a lot of power and that means in some cases that the right players don’t always get to play at a higher level. Those are the reasons why many Spaniards are going abroad to play. For me Asia was an exotic challenge where I could keep learning and improving my skills
Your former team have been drawn against K League Classic champions Pohang Steelers and Diego Forlan's Cervezo Osaka. Do you give them any chance of progress to the knockout stage?
My best wishes are for my former team and hope to play against them whenever possible in the AFC Champions League because it is a special place for me.
How do you rate your own team's chances of going one better than last year and claiming AFC Champions League glory?
This is one of the biggest teams in Asia so we have to work hard to keep that role. Although is going to be very difficult because there are many good teams and many of them got stronger with new players so is going to be a hard and beautiful to play against them. As footballers we have to face up to these challenges as best as we can.
You can follow @OsmarBarba on Twitter or visit the Seoul World Cup stadium on the 8th March for the K League Classic season opener: FC Seoul vs Jeonnam Dragons 4:00PM.
Interview by Ross Davis.