SAO PAULO (AP) — Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar has retired from football, five months after being hospitalized with a brain disease. heart problemsannounced Saturday in São Paulo, Brazil.
Sao Paulo announced that Oscar, 34, had finalized his contract with the team this week. The contract was scheduled to run until the end of 2027.
Oscar has not played for Sao Paulo since November, when he experienced vasovagal syncope (a common cause of syncope caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure or heart rate) and required surgery. He reportedly collapsed during preseason testing and was unconscious for about two minutes. Sao Paulo said at the time that he had “presented with complications involving changes in his heart.”
oscar I went back to my boyhood club. After a long stay in China, he will transfer on a free transfer at the end of 2024.
“I wanted to do more for São Paulo and I wanted to play more,” Oscar said in a club statement. “I think I had the ability to play soccer and the age to play more, but unfortunately this has happened. From now on, I plan to retire and continue to support São Paulo and continue my life as a fan.”
Oscar joined Chelsea in 2012, winning one Europa League title and two Premier League titles.
He moved to Shanghai midway through Chelsea’s 2016-17 season for a reported fee of $73 million. He won three Super League titles in China and became a fan favorite in Asia as well.
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