Oscar was one of the first high-profile players to leave Europe for the money on offer elsewhere in world football. He departed Chelsea in 2017 for the riches of the Chinese Super League, all while becoming one of the best-paid footballers in history in the process.

The Brazilian was one of the best midfielders in Europe at the time, impressing for Chelsea during his four-and-a-half-year stint. But many believed Oscar effectively ended his career as a 25-year-old when he opted for a move to Shanghai SIPG, being tempted by the crazy £400,000-per-week that was on offer. Football fans might be wondering what happened to the once exciting Brazilian prospect, so let’s take a closer look.

Oscar at Chelsea

Oscar arrived at Chelsea in 2012 as a relatively unknown quantity, signing from Brazilian club Internacional for around £25 million. It proved to be money well spent. In his very first start for the club, he scored twice against Juventus and Gianluigi Buffon in the Champions League – including one incredible effort. Not a bad way to introduce yourself.

He played 64 times in all competitions during his debut season, scoring 12 goals and helping the Blues to win the Europa League. Similar numbers followed during a trophyless 2013/14 season, where he scored 11 in 47 matches.

But during the 2014/15 campaign, Oscar lifted both the Premier League and League Cup under Jose Mourinho, scoring another seven goals. Things soon turned sour for Chelsea and Mourinho, although Oscar was still playing consistently under the Portuguese manager until his sacking in December 2015.

Antonio Conte was the next permanent manager, but Oscar spent a substantial amount of time on the bench. Midway through the Italian’s first season in charge, he was enticed by the ever-growing finances of the Chinese Super League, having nearly joined Atletico Madrid before then.

Oscar’s Move to China

Chelsea would go on to win the Premier League under Conte, but Oscar left for Shanghai in January for a reported £67 million – on a staggering £400,000-per-week contract. It made him one of the best-paid players in the world. Not only that, but he is still the most expensive signing in Chinese Super League history. Despite other European clubs being interested in signing him, Oscar admitted that he thought about providing for his family, rather than his own career.

“Every football player, or every person who works, wants to earn money to help their families,” he said. “I came from a social background in Brazil that is very poor. We didn’t have anything. This is the fruit of my work and when I earn this, it is because I conquered it.”

The likes of Carlos Tevez, Hulk, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marouane Fellaini, John Obi Mikel and Marko Arnautovic originally joined the Brazilian in the Chinese Super League, but Oscar is the highest-profile name to still remain in the division after it failed to reach the expected heights.

How Oscar Performed in China

In total, Oscar scored 77 goals in 248 appearances for Shanghai SIPG (now known as Shanghai Port F.C). He helped the club win the Super League in 2018, scoring 12 goals during that league season, and the Chinese FA Super Cup in 2019. However, he made headlines in 2017 when he was banned for eight matches for twice purposely kicking the ball into Guangzhou players.

But his move to China cost his international career dearly, as he’s failed to add to his 48 Brazil caps since leaving Europe. Americana-born Oscar appeared a level above his opponents in China at times – but for the Brazilian national team, it was very much a case of out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

Speaking about his absence from the national team since his move to Shanghai, Oscar admitted in 2021 that he often looked at Brazil squads when they were announced. The South American said that while he accepted that he would not be selected, he believed he could have been a valuable player for his national team.

“When I accepted the offer from China I knew that I would be out of the spotlight and out of the Brazil team,” he said. “It took me a while to accept that. Whenever I failed to make the squad, I would look at the list of players called up. I knew I was better than some of them.”

Oscar’s Earnings in China

Oscar was paid £400,000 per week for a total of seven years. When you add in endorsements, it’s a truly staggering amount of money he’s earned. In wages alone, Oscar pocketed over £150 million. That’s around four times more than he would have earned if he had remained in Europe – so can anyone really begrudge him moving to China?

Related

What went wrong for the Chinese Super League

Hulk, Oscar, Marouane Fellaini, Paulinho, Carlos Tevez and others joined the Chinese Super League but it never became what it set out to be.

Even amid the struggles of the Chinese Super League, the ex-Chelsea ace has made a fortune from his limited career in football and, according to a report from The Sun, the playmaker pocketed a grand total of £175 million from start to finish. Whether he could have achieved bigger things in the sport is a different conversation, however.

Oscar Now Back in Brazil But Looks Set to Retire in 2025

Oscar is now 34, and his spell in China came to an end after his Shanghai contract expired in December 2024. After a seven-year period, 248 appearances, 77 goals and a further 141 assists for the Asia-based outfit, a tear-jerking video circulated online of the 48-cap Brazil international’s emotional send-off. Moved to tears as the club’s faithful pleaded with him to stay, questions were being asked about where he would end up next.

In 2023, he admitted that he’d be interested in returning to Chelsea. He told talkSPORT: “Of course, it’s a dream to come back to Chelsea because everyone knows the passion that I have for this club.

However, with Chelsea’s pivot in the market to focusing on signing young talents, a return to west London never materalised. Instead, Oscar returned to his first club, Sao Paulo, in Christmas 2024. “I’m happy to be back in Brazil and to be able to play for Sao Paulo, which is the club where I started out, where I made my base and where I grew up,” he said in a statement. “I thank you for the affection I have received on social media these past few days and I will do my best to achieve great things together.”

At the time of writing, Oscar has played 35 times for Sao Paulo, scoring two goals and providing a further eight assists. However, it appears as though his playing days could soon come to an end. As per reports from ESPN Brazil, the midfielder has revealed to close associates that he will retire after a health scare.

He fainted during routine medical exams at the Barra Funda training center on 11 November and spent five days under medical care at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. The report adds that Oscar was diagnosed with ‘vasovagal syncope’, which is a transient loss of consciousness caused by a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate.

People close to the player told reporters that the Brazilian had been without a pulse for 50 seconds on the day he fainted. With that in mind, it would be understandable if he was to give up the sport.

While some football fans will forever feel that Oscar could have achieved far more in the game had he stayed in Europe, the highly-lucrative move to China has undoubtedly set him and his extended family up for several generations.