Oscar discusses retirement, São Paulo offer academy role | OneFootball

São Paulo returned from vacation on the afternoon of this Friday (2nd), with the squad reporting back at the Barra Funda training center to begin preseason. But one particular case remains unresolved—though not for much longer: midfielder Oscar.

After confiding to people close to him (including Tricolor staff and teammates) that he is indeed going to retire, the number 8 is negotiating with the board over overdue payments still owed from the contract signed last year, which runs until the end of 2027.

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed back in November, São Paulo owes Oscar around R$ 62 million, an amount due only for 2025, including salaries, image rights, and signing bonuses.

The consensus so far is that the attacking midfielder and the club will simply terminate the contract amicably, meaning neither side will pay a penalty.

Now, Oscar just wants to settle how and how much he will receive of what is still pending from the Morumbi club.

The board, which intends to announce the retirement before the start of matches this year, does not want to say a definitive goodbye to its former attacking midfielder. According to sources, president Julio Casares has invited Oscar to stay at the club, taking on the role of manager, initially in Cotia with the youth teams, but with free access to the professional squad.

The matter is still under discussion and, officially, no such proposal has been presented—there has only been an indication of interest. Oscar has shown interest in the inquiry.

FAMILY PRESSURE

The decision to hang up his boots came from Oscar after he suffered a vasovagal syncope on November 11.

Initially, Oscar was expected to return to work only when the squad reported back for the 2026 preseason. But the São Paulo board maintains its position of leaving the decision of when and how to return to training in his hands.

This would also give number 8 more time to decide whether or not to retire, as his family wants.

Oscar was hospitalized in a hospital in the west zone of São Paulo after experiencing a complication with cardiac alterations during exams at the Barra Funda training center. Oscar even fainted and lost consciousness during a physical assessment.

An extensive investigation at the hospital confirmed that the player had an episode of vasovagal syncope. Stable and clinically well throughout his stay, the athlete is following a medical rest program for the coming days.

After the scare, it is a consensus within Tricolor that there is no rush or pressure for the return of their midfielder. Oscar will be away from work as long as he deems necessary and will have the club’s full support in his decision.

The same goes for the future. São Paulo directors have not brought up the subject of retirement with number 8 at any time. Officially or not, the stance is the same: Oscar has a contract until the end of 2027, and the priority now is his recovery, both physical and emotional, and the decision is strictly personal.

For São Paulo, the order is to continue contractually as is, without changes to clauses or amounts.

“He has two more years on his contract and we’ll give him as much time as he needs to recover and to think about what’s best for him. The important thing is that it wasn’t anything serious and he’s already with his family. Our priority is to see him well. There’s no reason for any discussion beyond that. Above all, we respect what Oscar means and his importance to São Paulo,” said a source from São Paulo’s football leadership to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, who asked not to be identified.

Signed at the start of the season, Oscar has two goals and five assists in the 21 matches he played for São Paulo. Sources close to the player consulted by the report indicate that the family’s request is for him to retire. But the subject has not been discussed further since he was discharged, as a way to avoid pressuring him.

THE ILLNESS

Vasovagal syncope is a common fainting episode caused by an exaggerated reaction of the vagus nerve to a trigger, such as standing for a long time, emotional stress, seeing blood, physical exertion, or feeling hot. This causes a temporary drop in heart rate and blood pressure, resulting in loss of consciousness. Prior symptoms may include weakness, paleness, sweating, dizziness, and nausea.

Considered a problem that is usually easy to treat, doctors prescribe lifestyle changes, such as improving hydration, moderating salt intake, avoiding going too long without meals, avoiding emotional triggers, and even using compression stockings to help blood circulation. Medication is only given in severe cases.

The worrying aspect, from Oscar’s professional point of view, is that there is a medical recommendation not to spend too much time standing during the recovery period. In other words, to put it simply, the midfielder is barred from training or practicing his profession for a period after being discharged.

“Obviously, I don’t know the case in depth, but from a distance, considering Oscar’s profession, the recommendation is prolonged rest with short periods of physical activity in the first months. But more detailed exams would be needed to know if circulation is affected,” explained cardiologist Ricardo Neves, professor at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul and member of the Sul-Mato-Grossense Academy of Medicine, to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR.

In the bulletin released by the Morumbi club, it is stated that Oscar will undergo an electrophysiological study. Neves explains that the result will be decisive in knowing whether the player can return to physical activities in a short period of time.

“This is not associated with whether or not he continues his career, but rather with a short-term return to training and matches. It’s important to stress that,” Neves added.

Also according to the cardiologist, it is a circulatory problem that does not have a direct effect on the heart. “It does not mean that the person has heart failure or another cardiac problem that would prevent them from living their life normally,” he pointed out.

PLAYER REASSURES FANS

Attacking midfielder Oscar spoke out for the first time after being hospitalized on Tuesday (11) for experiencing a complication with cardiac alterations during physical tests for São Paulo at the Barra Funda training center.

Through his social media, the number 8 sought to reassure fans and supporters, who were anxious about the news.

“Thank you very much for the messages and prayers. Everything will be fine, God willing,” he wrote.

Since the news of his hospitalization came out, Oscar has been receiving numerous messages of support from São Paulo fans and even from supporters of other clubs. Fans of Internacional, the club he also played for in Brazil, even posted videos praying for his recovery.

Reassured by the board, who visited Oscar during Tuesday, São Paulo players are expected to visit their teammate at the hospital this afternoon. According to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, Oscar even made a video call with all the players, who were extremely anxious about what happened.

THE CASE

Hospitalized in a São Paulo hospital after suffering a complication with cardiac alterations, midfielder Oscar is expected to terminate his contract with São Paulo after being discharged and officially announce his retirement.

The information was confirmed to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR by three sources: one from the top of São Paulo football management and two close to the 34-year-old player, who has not played since the win over Corinthians in the Brazilian Championship on July 19.

According to AMT, it was right after that match that the number 8 underwent tests to assess a fracture of three lumbar vertebrae, which revealed heart problems. At that time, at Oscar’s request, the case was not made public, becoming information shared off the record by doctors and spread only by São Paulo influencer pages.

Meanwhile, Oscar followed a routine of monitoring exams that indicated improvement in his clinical condition and allowed him to be cleared for activities with the squad. But the number 8 ended up getting injured again, suffering a muscle injury in his left calf.

Oscar then consulted Hernán Crespo’s staff to understand the next steps. He was advised to understand his case first before making a decision. Shaken by criticism from fans, questions about his high salary, and reassured by exams indicating improvement in his clinical situation, the number 8 then gave up on his family’s request for him to retire.

This morning, however, Oscar fainted during physical tests and left the Barra Funda training center by ambulance. The incident shocked everyone present, from players to staff.

The number 8 remains hospitalized awaiting test results that will allow doctors to determine the origin of the cardiac alteration. But his condition is stable.

As per usual procedure and respecting the player’s privacy, new information will be released as soon as there is an update from the medical team, in agreement with Oscar.

THE NUMBER 8’S BAD LUCK AND THE DIFFICULTY OF REGAINING IDOL STATUS

As AMT revealed three weeks ago, the internal mood at São Paulo was already pessimistic about Oscar’s contribution to the team in this final stretch of the Brazilian Championship, in which the team is fighting for a spot in the next Copa Libertadores.

Even before the new injury, there was already internal caution at the Morumbi club regarding their player. Oscar has not played for Tricolor since the win over Corinthians at Morumbi on July 19, in the Brazilian Championship. On that occasion, the midfielder suffered a fracture of three lumbar vertebrae and missed 16 matches while recovering from the injury.

In the last two games, the number 8 was listed by coach Hernán Crespo but did not take the field, still lacking better physical condition. It’s another chapter in the series of disappointments for the attacking midfielder since his return to São Paulo after 15 years.

In practical and absolute numbers, Oscar suffered his fifth injury since the start of the year. That equals the total number of injuries he had in the 12 years he spent abroad, between 2012 and 2024, with Chelsea in England and Shanghai Port in China.

Adding the four previous injuries, the number 8 spent 175 days recovering, available for 30 of the 57 matches played by the club this season. He played in 23 matches, starting nineteen and only playing the full ninety minutes in nine. In total, he spent 1,591 minutes on the field, equivalent to 31% of the team’s total playing time.

This is such a low rate that any debate about his exact salary becomes irrelevant: it doesn’t matter if it’s closer to one million reais or three million, the cost-benefit is poor in any scenario—unless, perhaps, the contract was for a newly promoted youth player.

And it sparks internal debates at Morumbi. According to AMT, there are quite a few people close to president Julio Casares who advocate for an amicable termination with the player for next year, easing the payroll. The subject, however, is being avoided for now by the football board.

In a press conference, Casares believes that Oscar’s signing, under the terms agreed, was done responsibly. São Paulo shares the responsibility of paying the player’s salary with Superbet, the club’s main sponsor.

“I believe that Oscar, like other players, was a responsible signing. When Oscar chose São Paulo, he was being pursued by two other major clubs in Brazil. The fact that he got injured is part of the sporting landscape, as other players also have such incidents. We hope he will be in our squad recovering and can bring the joy for which he was signed,” he said.

“He was signed with a partnership in which a little less than half was provided by the sponsor. All of this gives us confidence that the renewal with Superbet also contributed to Oscar’s arrival. I believe Oscar’s signing was highly responsible, as have all our signings. Obviously, some don’t work out immediately. The less obvious ones happen over time, like Marcos Antonio. Signings have a certain subjectivity. Time’s dynamics answer the question of what was right and wrong, which sometimes depends on other factors,” the president continued.

Oscar has become the portrait of what São Paulo swore to avoid: high investment and low return from names that symbolize the past. The recent history of players returning from China already indicated the risk: Alexandre Pato, Éder Citadini, Hernanes, and Miranda all had stints with much lower performance than expected—and, of those, only Pato escaped frequent injuries.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.