BURIRAM, Thailand -- It is safe to say that Sandy Walsh could not have asked for a better first season in Southeast Asian club football.
Having previously spent the entirety of his career in the Belgian Pro League -- even featuring in the Europa League for Genk and Zulte Waregem -- Walsh departed Europe for the first time at the start of the last year when he joined Japanese outfit Yokohama F. Marinos.
That stint in the J1 League lasted just six months and, although it may not have been the most fruitful of spells, the next chapter would prove to be a hugely successful one for the Indonesia international.
Buriram United's 2025-26 campaign officially came to an end last weekend in the Thai FA Cup final.
With a 1-0 extra-time triumph over PT Prachuap, Buriram completed a treble -- having also previously won the Thai League 1 and ASEAN Club Championship titles.
Success is always on the cards at a club like Buriram, who have now won the past five league titles in Thailand, along with four FA Cups, three League Cups and two ASEAN Club Championships since the 2021-22 season.
They have also reached the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Elite -- Asia's premier club competition -- in the past two seasons.
But as Walsh found out quickly upon his arrival at Chang Arena, this prolonged success is not just a matter of luck -- but by design and hard work.
"Of course, Buriram are a very big bane within Southeast Asia, but also within Asia," Walsh told ESPN in an exclusive interview.
"Also, in the ACL Elite, we've been able to compete until the knockout rounds. That's not something given.
"That's something that's been built over the years with a great organisation, that gives us players the best chance to play at this level and compete. This season, we were able to secure the [league] title quite early on -- our fifth consecutive.
"This is something very big. It's a very famous club so I knew what I was going into. I already knew some of the players in this team so I was well prepared.
"Once I got here, my eyes opened to see a team within Southeast Asia being so professional and into the details of performing with this winning mentality.
"That's something I really enjoyed this season."
A former Netherlands youth international who committed to playing for Indonesia, who he qualifies to represent through his mother, in 2023, Walsh is now no stranger to the passionate regional rivalries that almost epitomise Southeast Asian football.
Joining Buriram also meant that he got to experience even more of this in the ASEAN Club Championship, which has now been solely won by Buriram since the tournament made its return following a 20-year hiatus two years ago.
"Knowing that football within Southeast Asia is so big and well-followed all over the countries, for players, it's fun to be able to compete with teams from Malaysia, Singapore and other countries," Walsh added.
"It's another level of competition where we can show ourselves. Buriram United are contenders every year to win it.
"I enjoy it and, as a team, we enjoy it. Ending it with a win [just made] it even more pleasant."
Walsh now shares a dressing room with established Thailand internationals such as Suphanat Mueanta, Theerathon Bunmathan and Supachai Jaided. There is also Singapore striker Ilhan Fandi and Philippines goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
They have been teammates for the past season but, over the next few months, they will revert to be foes on the international stage.
Indonesia will face Singapore in the group stage of the ASEAN Championship, which kicks off on July 24. They have been drawn against Thailand at next January's AFC Asian Cup.
The prospect of coming up against players who he has spent the past season training alongside daily had Walsh beaming in anticipation.
"Of course, playing for the national team of Indonesia and playing in Southeast Asia, you'll have teammates playing for [other] national teams especially if you play for a club like Buriram," he said, with a wide smile on his face.
"We have some of the best players of Thailand. We have players from Singapore and Philippines. Through this, I knew them before and now I know them personally playing with them.
"When I saw the draw of the Asian Cup, it was special to see Thailand and Indonesia in the same group. Knowing these are players that are playing with me every day, it will be fun to see them on the biggest stage in Asia and compete against them.
"Before that, we also have the ASEAN Championship so I bet I'll see them around.
"I'm telling them we will win [when Indonesia play Thailand in the Asian Cup]. Let's remember this date. We'll see in January if I'm right."
While Walsh, at 31, should still have plenty of football left in him, he is realistic enough to acknowledge that he is closer to the end, rather than the beginning, of his career.
And while the first page of his story at Buriram has brought immediate success, he could still have one or two more adventures left in him.
"I'm 31 now," said Walsh. "Of course, when you enter the 30s as a football player at this level - this stage of life also -- you start thinking about the future and what the next steps are.
"First of all, I'm so happy to be here at Buriram United but you never know what the future will give.
"If it's finding another competition in Southeast Asia, going to challenge myself in the Indonesian league or going the other way around, it can be all different directions.
"The full focus was on winning the other two titles [ASEAN Championship and FA Cup] for Buriram United. Then, it's going to be on the national team.
"And, after that, I will see what it's going to be going forward. I have an idea in my head what my future will be.
"I'm not going to say it here. But I have an idea," he coyly concluded.
