Oscar returned to his first club, Sao Paulo, last December and now sadly looks set to call time on his career after collapsing while using an exercise bike last month
Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar is reportedly poised to announce his retirement after being diagnosed with a health condition. The 34-year-old was admitted to hospital last month after collapsing at Sao Paulo’s training ground.
He fell unconscious while doing an interval test on an exercise bike. He was admitted to the ICU for observation and was later diagnosed with vasovagal syncope – a condition causes a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure.
Oscar returned to Sao Paulo last December on a three-year deal following a near eight-year stint in China. It was a dream move back to the club where he began his career, before making his name with Chelsea, but it seems destined to be cut short.
Brazilian outlet Globo reports that Oscar held talks with the club and has now informed them he would like to retire. A formal announcement is expected to come shortly for the midfielder, who won 48 caps for his country between 2011 and 2015.
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Oscar’s return to the Brazilian club was previously interrupted when he suffered a fractured vertebra in August. Sao Paulo had reportedly been monitoring a heart issue that became apparent during tests on the fracture.
Oscar joined Chelsea in 2012 from Internacional and made 203 appearances for the club, contributing 38 goals and 31 assists. He won two Premier League titles, the League Cup and Europa League while at Stamford Bridge before heading to China to make his millions.
He joined Shanghai in January 2017, with the club paying Chelsea £60million for his services before putting him on a reported salary of £400,000 per week. Oscar raked in around £175m in wages with Shanghai, staying for nearly eight years in the Chinese city.
Oscar made 248 appearances for Shanghai Port, who were previously known as Shanghai SIPG, scoring 77 goals and contributing 141 assists and helping his side win three Chinese Super League titles, as well as the FA Super Cup and the Chinese FA Cup.
Upon joining Sao Paulo, he said: “I’m happy to be back in Brazil and to be able to play for Sao Paulo, which is the club where I started out, where I made my base and where I grew up.
“I thank you for the affection I have received on social media these past few days and I will do my best to achieve great things together.”
After being admitted to hospital, Oscar reassured his fans by writing on Instagram: “Everything will be alright, God willing.”
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