Midfielder Oscar, former Brazilian and Chelsea national team, is negotiating with São Paulo and could be announced in the coming days. At 33 years old, the player’s return to Tricolor Paulista divides fan opinion.
Formed at the São Paulo academy, Oscar left the club in 2009 to defend the colors of Internacional, from Porto Alegre.
Reminds him of the troubled exit from São Paulo.
What was Oscar’s first spell in São Paulo like?
Oscar joined São Paulo’s youth teams at the age of 13, in 2004. Four years later, he was promoted to the professional ranks, in 2008, and led by Muricy Ramalho. In his first season with the main team, he made just one appearance, but gained more opportunities the following year, with 13 appearances and two assists.
The player was even called up for youth teams and was seen as a great promise for Soberano. Emancipated at the age of 16, he signed with São Paulo for five seasons.
It didn’t take long for the player’s representatives to file a lawsuit accusing the São Paulo club of having coerced him into signing the contract. Oscar was released in court and was announced by Inter.
Initially with the under-23s, Oscar caught attention in Colorado and became the team’s protagonist. On Gaucho soil, there were 80 games, 19 goals and nine assists. In 2012, he was sold to Chelsea for R$79 million, but before that Inter paid R$15 million to São Paulo for Oscar’s rights.
Since then, it has been 14 years away from Brazil, but part of the Tricolor fans do not approve of the player’s return due to accusations of “ungratefulness” and that Oscar would be “mercenary” with his former club.
“I want to make a name for myself here in São Paulo, I’ve always been from São Paulo since I was little..” – Oscar in 2008 at age 16.
🎥 Tricolor Station
— spfcpics (@spfcpics)
In 2022, during an interview with the podcast “Fala, Brasólho”, on the channel “Desimpedidos”, Oscar commented on his departure in 2009.
– In my opinion it is sad [a saída do São Paulo]. I was the biggest promise, I had everything to have the same prominence at São Paulo that I had at Inter and in the national team, for example. But unfortunately it was kind of boring. The contract that wasn’t valid was wrong. We spent a year saying it was wrong, at one point my manager said ‘if you don’t fix it, he’s going to leave’. São Paulo said everything was fine. I didn’t want to leave, but they didn’t fix what was wrong – said the player.
– I had an opportunity to leave São Paulo and go to Benfica. But I lost an injunction and couldn’t join teams outside the country, so I ended up going to Inter. It was kind of like that, it wasn’t something that I didn’t want to play for São Paulo anymore. The fan says I’m ungrateful, but I wish I had stayed. I’m from São Paulo, I was raised in Cotia and lived in Barra Funda, but it didn’t work out. It was little that ended up creating a chance to leave São Paulo. It was very difficult for me because I was from São Paulo, and so was my late father – added Oscar.
At the time, he also admitted to being “afraid” of going to Morumbi and having to deal with criticism about leaving the club.
– I’m still rooting [pelo São Paulo]of course. My children recently went to a São Paulo game. I wasn’t, maybe it’s a little complicated [risos]. If I wear a cap and mask, maybe they won’t even notice I’m there. But to avoid it, I sent them. They have always lived there and never had this opportunity to see a game in Brazil. My mother, who is also from São Paulo, took it and they loved it. They saw the fans singing and now my son sings the songs, he likes them – revealed the midfielder.
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Repercussion on social media
The possible signing of the midfielder divides the opinions of internet users. On the other hand, Inter fans wanted his return to the club.
Oscar left São Paulo after a legal fight, if it were up to the São Paulo team he might not have even played in the World Cup, he spent years saying he was a Coloradoan and that if he returned, it would be for Inter… he is about to sign with São Paulo.
— Felipe Flores 🇦🇹 (@MrToicin)
I’ll say one thing: São Paulo will have to “beat” Oscar in the pre-season. The physical level of Chinese football is very low. Watching the videos, it looks like the “friends” football game on the weekend.
Physical preparation will be essential for the “successful” hiring process.
— TRICOLOR FRAME (@bastidor_tri)
About Oscariotes:
Nothing will erase what he did in 2009, regardless of the mistakes made by São Paulo leaders. Even months after seeking contract termination and having defeats in court, he continued to fight as hard as he could to stay away from the club that formed him.— AspirantesTricolores (@aspirantesSPFC)
Will Oscar play for São Paulo? How is the negotiation going?
According to the website “ESPN”, the athlete has rethought coming to Brazil and has agreed with São Paulo to reinforce the São Paulo club in 2025.
There are still issues to be defined, such as the length of the contract. All contracting costs will be borne by São Paulo, without assistance from sponsors or agreements.
A few weeks ago, Oscar even gave an interview to “ESPN” stating that he and his family were not willing to return to Brazil, but the situation has changed and now the agreement is close to being signed for the athlete’s return.
Oscar, 33 years old, began his career at São Paulo, playing for the São Paulo club between 2008 and 2010, when he transferred to Inter. At the club from Rio Grande do Sul, he stayed for another two years, before moving to Chelsea in 2012. In 2017, he transferred to Shanghai Port, in China, where he spent the last seven seasons.
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How much does Oscar cost?
Despite being free on the market, Oscar is still considered expensive in the world of football, largely due to his high salaries at Shanghai Port, his former club.
To give you an idea, the 33-year-old midfielder received a sannual salary of 24 million euros (R$130 million) – around R$11 million per month, according to the newspaper “L’Equipe”. This is a value that São Paulo and no Brazilian football club can pay.
Oscar almost signed a contract with Flamengo in August 2022. Rubro-Negro reached an agreement with the player, who would play for Fla on loan. Shanghai Port signaled its approval, but later blocked the deal.
On August 3, 2022, Oscar even published a farewell letter from Shanghai Port. Two days earlier, a photo of the midfielder wearing a Flamengo shirt was leaked onto the internet.
The negotiation had a negative outcome for Flamengo on August 15, 2022. Oscar even published a text for the red and black fans, on social media.
“I would like to thank everyone for the love and messages received over the last month, especially from all Flamengo fans. I appreciate the interest of Flamengo and the fans, but it was not possible to achieve this at the moment. I wish the club and all the friends who I’ll be there for the rest of this season. Thank you all!
In September 2023, Internacional investigated Oscar, who had a prominent spell at the club from 2010 to 2012. However, the player’s staff explained that an immediate release at no cost would be impossible, due to his contract until the end of 2024.
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Oscar numbers in Shanghai Port
- 245 games
- 76 goals
- 110 assists
How was Oscar’s year in China?
Oscar ended his time at Shanghai Port with the 2024 Chinese Championship title. He made 39 appearances this year, with 16 goals scored and 29 assists this season. The numbers placed the player as the name with the most assists this year in China.
