Urgent: Oscar discharged from hospital, set for a spell of rest | OneFootball

The attacking midfielder Oscar was discharged from the Albert Einstein Hospital on the morning of this Sunday (16).

The 34-year-old player was admitted to the hospital on the afternoon of Tuesday (11), after experiencing an incident with cardiac alterations during exams conducted at the Barra Funda Training Center.

An extensive investigation carried out at the hospital confirmed that the player had an episode of vasovagal syncope.

Stable and clinically well throughout his hospital stay, the athlete will now follow a medical program of rest for the next few days.

Vasovagal syncope is a common fainting episode caused by an exaggerated reaction of the vagus nerve to a trigger, such as standing for too long, 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. Early 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 long periods without meals, avoiding emotional triggers, and even wearing compression stockings to help with blood circulation. Medication is only administered in severe cases.

The concerning aspect, from Oscar's professional standpoint, is that there is a medical recommendation to avoid standing for long periods during the recovery period. In other words, to put it simply, the midfielder is prohibited 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 Mato Grosso do Sul 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 emphasize that,” Neves added.

Also according to the cardiologist, it is a circulatory problem that does not have a direct interference with anything in the heart. “It does not mean that the person has heart failure or another heart problem that would prevent 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 São Paulo’s physical tests at the Barra Funda Training Center.

Through his social media, the number 8 made sure to reassure fans and supporters, who were distressed by 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 broke, 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 the player's recovery.

Reassured by the board, who visited Oscar throughout 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 deeply concerned about what 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 medically discharged and officially announce his retirement.

The information was confirmed to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR by three sources: one from the top management of São Paulo football and two connected to the 34-year-old player, who has not played since the victory 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 evaluate 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 spread only by São Paulo influencer pages.

Meanwhile, Oscar followed a routine of monitoring exams that showed 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 coaching staff to understand the next steps. He was advised to understand his case first before making a decision. Shaken by criticism from the fans, questions about his high salary, and reassured by exams indicating improvement in his clinical condition, 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 atmosphere 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, the Morumbi club had already been cautious with their player. Oscar has not 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 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. This is 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, being available for 30 of the 57 matches played by the club this season. He played in 23 matches, starting in nineteen and only playing the full ninety minutes in nine. Altogether, he spent 1,591 minutes on the field, equivalent to 31% of the total minutes played by the team.

This is 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, except perhaps if the contract were 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 contract termination with the player for next year, easing the payroll. The matter, however, is currently being 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, was a responsible signing. When Oscar chose São Paulo, he was being sought after by two other big clubs in Brazil. The fact that he got injured is within the sporting context, 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, with a little less than half of the amount provided by the sponsor. All this gives us the certainty that the renewal with Superbet also contributed to Oscar’s arrival. I believe that Oscar’s signing was highly responsible, as have all signings been. Obviously, some don’t work out immediately. The less obvious ones happen over time, like the case of Marcos Antonio. Signings have a subjectivity. Over time, the dynamics answer the question of what was right and what was 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 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.