Oscar to retire soon, São Paulo to offer him football role | OneFootball

The attacking midfielder Oscar is expected to announce the end of his professional football career by the end of the year.

At least, that's what's expected after the player himself confided his retirement to close friends over the course of this week.

AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has learned that the number 8 has already been saying his goodbyes to teammates and club staff through a mobile messaging app.

According to ‘ESPN‘, São Paulo had scheduled a meeting with the 34-year-old player next week to discuss his future. And, with the decision to hang up his boots already underway, the tendency is for him to be invited to continue working at the club, in a behind-the-scenes role in professional football. Oscar's contract runs until the end of 2027.

This is Oscar's first concrete move regarding his future since he appeared wearing training gear at the Barra Funda training center last week, on a day when the press was allowed in. The aim was to reassure the fans and show that he is doing well.

The São Paulo board decided to bring forward the attacking midfielder's vacation, as he recovers from a vasovagal syncope suffered on November 11.

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed, the decision is based on further reassuring the 34-year-old player during his recovery, easing the pressure for answers about his return and granting more time for the rest recommended by doctors.

Initially, Oscar would only return to work when the squad reconvenes for the 2026 pre-season. But the São Paulo board maintains the position of leaving the decision of when and how to return to training in his hands.

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

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

An extensive investigation carried out at the hospital confirmed that the player had an episode of vasovagal syncope. Stable and clinically well throughout his hospitalization, the athlete will follow the medical program of rest for the coming days.

After the scare, it is a consensus within Tricolor that there is no rush or pressure for their midfielder's return. Oscar will stay away from work for 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 executives have not brought up the subject of retirement with the number 8 at any time. Officially or not, the stance is the same: Oscar has a contract until the end of 2027, the priority now is his recovery, both physical and emotional, and the decision is strictly personal.

From São Paulo's side, the order is to continue contractually as is, with no changes to clauses or values.

“He has two more years on his contract and we will give him as much time as necessary for his recovery and for him to think about what is best for him. The important thing is that it was nothing serious and he is already with his family. Our priority is to see him well. There is no reason for any discussion beyond that. Above all, we respect what Oscar means and his importance to São Paulo,” said a source from the São Paulo football board to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, who asked not to be identified.

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

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. Previous 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 side, speaking from Oscar's professional perspective, is that there is a medical recommendation not to stand for long periods during recovery. In other words, in simple terms, 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, given 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 South Mato Grosso 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 determining whether the player can return to physical activities in a short period of time.

“This is not associated with the continuation or not of his career, but rather with a short-term return to training and matches. It's important to highlight that,” Neves added.

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

PLAYER REASSURES FANS

The attacking midfielder Oscar spoke out for the first time after being hospitalized on Tuesday (11) for experiencing an incident 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 received numerous messages of support from São Paulo fans and even from supporters of other clubs. Fans of Internacional, a club he also played for in Brazil, even posted videos praying for the player's 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 had happened.

THE CASE

Hospitalized in a São Paulo hospital after suffering an incident 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 connected 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 exams to assess a fracture of three lumbar vertebrae, which revealed heart problems. At that time, at Oscar's own request, the case was not disclosed, becoming information shared off the record by doctors and only spread 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 to train 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 that indicated 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 RECLAIMING HIS 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 edition of the 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 recovering from the injury.

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

In practical and absolute numbers, Oscar suffered his fifth injury since the start of the year. This equals the total number of injuries he suffered 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 made 23 appearances, 19 as a starter and only nine for the full ninety minutes. 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 the exact value of his salary becomes irrelevant: it doesn't matter whether it's closer to one million reais or three million, the cost-benefit is poor in any scenario, except perhaps if the contract were for a newly promoted youth player.

And this sparks internal debates at Morumbi. As AMT found out, 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 currently avoided by the football board.

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, were responsible signings. When Oscar chose São Paulo, he was being sought by two other big clubs in Brazil. The fact that he got injured is part of a sporting scenario, in which 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 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 our signings. Obviously, some don't work out at the moment. The less obvious ones happen over time, like Marcos Antonio. Signings are subjective. Time's dynamics answer the question of successes and mistakes, which sometimes depend on other factors,” the president continued.

Oscar became 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 had stints with much lower performance than expected — and, of these, only Pato escaped frequent injuries.

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