Oscar to leave São Paulo after heart issue, set to retire | OneFootball

Hospitalized in a São Paulo capital hospital after suffering an incident with cardiological 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 upper echelons of São Paulo football and two connected to the 34-year-old player, who hasn't played since the victory over Corinthians in the Brazilian Championship on July 19.

According to AMT, right after this match, the number 8 underwent evaluation exams for a fracture of three lumbar vertebrae that pointed out heart problems. At that time, at Oscar's own request, the case was not disclosed, becoming information shared off the record by doctors and spread only by São Paulo influencers' pages.

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

Oscar then consulted Hernán Crespo's team to understand the next steps. He was advised to understand his case first before making a decision. Disturbed by the criticism from fans, the questions about his high salary, and assured by exams indicating improvement in his clinical situation, the number 8 then gave up the family request to end his career.

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 exam 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 BAD LUCK OF NUMBER 8 AND THE DIFFICULTY IN REGAINING IDOL STATUS

As AMT revealed three weeks ago, the internal atmosphere at São Paulo was already pessimistic about Oscar's performance in the team in this final stretch of the Brazilian Championship, where the team is fighting for a spot in the next edition of the Copa Libertadores.

Even before the new injury, there was internal caution at the Morumbi club regarding their player. Oscar hasn't played for Tricolor since the victory 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 recovering from the injury.

In the last two games, the number 8 was listed by coach Hernán Crespo but ended up not playing, still feeling the lack of better physical condition. It's another chapter in the history of disappointments for the midfielder in his return to São Paulo after 15 years.

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

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

It's such a low rate that any debate about the exact value of his 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, if the contract were for a newly promoted youth player.

And it sparks internal debates at Morumbi. According to AMT, there are many people close to president Julio Casares who advocate for an amicable termination with the player for next year, easing the payroll. However, the topic is currently avoided by the football management.

In a press conference, Casares believes that Oscar's signing, under the terms it was made, 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 sought after by two other major clubs in Brazil. The fact that he got injured falls within a sports panorama, where other players also have such incidents. We hope he will be in our squad recovering and can bring the joys for which he was hired,” he stated.

“He was signed with a partnership where a little less than half was funded by the sponsor. This gives us the certainty that the renewal with Superbet also contributed to Oscar's arrival. I believe Oscar's arrival was highly responsible, as have all the signings been responsible. It's evident that some don't happen at the moment. Those less evident happen over time, like the case of Marcos Antonio. Signings have a subjectivity. The dynamics over time answer the question of successes and failures, which sometimes depend on other factors,” continued the president.

Oscar has become the embodiment 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 had performances well below expectations — and, among them, only Pato escaped frequent injuries.

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