Oscar’s return in doubt, São Paulo prioritise full recovery | OneFootball

The São Paulo board has left it up to midfielder Oscar to decide when and how to return to training after the 34-year-old player was discharged from the hospital on Sunday morning (16).

The number 8 had been hospitalized in a hospital in the west zone of São Paulo since the afternoon of Tuesday (11), after experiencing an incident with cardiac alterations during tests conducted at the Barra Funda training center. Oscar even fainted and lost consciousness during a physical assessment activity.

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

After the scare, there is 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 applies to his future. São Paulo’s management has not brought up the subject of retirement with the number 8 at any time. Officially or not, the stance remains 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.

On São Paulo’s part, 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 he needs to recover and decide 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 games he’s 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.

THE CONDITION

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. 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 using compression stockings to help blood circulation. Medication is only given in severe cases.

The concerning aspect, speaking from Oscar’s professional perspective, is that there is a medical recommendation to avoid standing for long periods during recovery. 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 observing from afar, given Oscar’s profession, the recommendation is prolonged rest with short periods of physical activity in the first months. But more detailed tests would be needed to know if circulation is affected,” cardiologist Ricardo Neves, professor at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul and member of the Mato Grosso do Sul Academy of Medicine, explained 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 the short term.

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

Still according to the cardiologist, it is a circulatory problem, which does not have a direct connection to anything in 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

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 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 broke, 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 management, 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 discharged and officially announce his retirement.

The information was confirmed to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR by three sources: one from São Paulo’s football leadership and two close 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, 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 own request, the case was not made public, becoming information shared off the record by doctors and only spread by São Paulo influencer pages.

Meanwhile, Oscar continued a routine of monitoring tests 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 coaching 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 tests 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 cause 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 Copa Libertadores.

Even before the new injury, there was already internal caution at Morumbi 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 included in the squad by coach Hernán Crespo but ended up not playing, still lacking better physical condition. It’s yet another chapter in the attacking midfielder’s history of disappointments 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 played 1,591 minutes, 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 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 subject, however, is being avoided for now by the football management.

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 courted 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 stays with our squad, recovers, 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 contributed by the sponsor. All this gives us confidence 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 immediately. The less obvious ones happen over time, as in the case of Marcos Antonio. Signings have a subjectivity. Over time, the dynamics answer the question of successes and failures, which sometimes depend 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 spells 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.