Oscar departed Chelsea to sign a record-breaking £400,000-per-week contract in the Chinese Super League.
He hasn’t added to his 48 caps since leaving Europe, and his transfer has lost him his international career despite his great time in China.
Oscar is one of the highest-paid football players in the world, having reportedly earned £175 million during his seven years in China.
One of the first well-known football players to leave Europe for the money offered overseas was Oscar. He became one of the highest-paid football players in history after leaving Chelsea in 2017 to pursue the wealth of the Chinese Super League.
During his four-and-a-half-year stay at Chelsea, the Brazilian, who was regarded as one of the top midfield players in Europe at the time, made an impression. However, many felt that Oscar’s decision to join Shanghai SIPG, lured by the outrageous £400,000-per-week offer, essentially ended his career at the age of 25. Let’s take a deeper look at the once-exciting Brazilian prospect in case you’re wondering what happened to him.
Oscar at Chelsea
The Brazilian took home two Premier League championships.
Oscar, who had signed for about £25 million from Brazilian club Internacional, was a relative unknown when he joined Chelsea in 2012. It turned out to be a wise investment. He scored twice in the Champions League against Juventus and Gianluigi Buffon in his first appearance for the team, including one spectacular effort. It’s not a bad way to get started.
In his first season, he made 64 appearances in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and contributing to the Blues’ Europa League victory. He scored 11 goals in 47 games during the trophyless 2013–14 season, which followed with similar results.
However, Oscar scored seven more goals and won the Premier League and League Cup during the 2014–15 season under Jose Mourinho. Oscar continued to play regularly under the Portuguese manager until his dismissal in December 2015, but things quickly soured for Chelsea and Mourinho.
Oscar’s Chelsea Data
Rivalry
Games
Objectives
Helps
The Premier League
131
21
25
League of Champions
30
8.
7.
The Europa League
9.
One
0
The Super Cup
2.
0
0
World Cup of Clubs
2.
0
0
FA Cup
16
7.
4.
The EFL Cup
Twelve
One
One
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.
“I was close to joining Atletico but Chelsea refused to sell me. They were asking for €50million or €60m, and nobody was paying that much at the time. Then came a proposal from China. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I was on the bench, and I don’t like to be on the bench.”
Oscar’s Move to China
£400,000-a-week contract offer was too good to reject
Although Oscar moved for Shanghai in January for an estimated £67 million on an incredible £400,000-per-week contract, Chelsea would go on to win the Premier League under Conte. He became one of the highest paid athletes in the world as a result. Furthermore, he remains the most costly acquisition in the history of the Chinese Super League. Oscar acknowledged that he considered supporting his family over pursuing his own career, even if other European teams were interested in signing him.
“Every football player, or every person who works, wants to earn money to help their families,” he stated. “I was raised in a very impoverished social context in Brazil. We had nothing at all. This is the result of my labour, and I earned it because I overcame it.
“China has enormous financial clout and occasionally makes offers that are impossible for players to turn down.”
Oscar is the most well-known player to still be in the competition after it fell short of expectations. Players like Carlos Tevez, Hulk, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marouane Fellaini, John Obi Mikel, and Marko Arnautovic first joined the Brazilian in the Chinese Super League.
How Oscar has Performed in China
The move has had its pros and cons
Oscar has made 248 appearances for Shanghai SIPG (now Shanghai Port F.C.) and scored 77 goals overall. In 2018, he scored 12 goals to assist the team win the Super League, and in 2019, he helped the team win the Chinese FA Super Cup. But in 2017, he made news when he was given an eight-match ban for intentionally kicking the ball into Guangzhou teammates twice.
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