Oscar is a former player of Chelsea
When Brazilian attacker Oscar swapped Chelsea’s blue for Shanghai SIPG’s red in December 2016, the football world reacted with big disappointments.
At just 25, Oscar was still in his prime, a Champions League-level midfielder but he traded the lights at Stamford Bridge for the Chinese Super League.
9 years after his departure, Oscar in an interview with former teammate John Mikel Obi has revealed that he considered the money being offered by Shanghai SIPG and what it could do for his family, and that ultimately influenced his decision to leave Chelsea.
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“That time, China had started recruiting good players from the Premier League, and they came to me. But the first time I said no, I don’t want to go to China now. I still want to play in Europe, I play for the national team,” he recalled.
After weighing the pros and cons with his wife, he decided that the financial offer from Shanghai SIPG and the security it promised for his family made leaving Chelsea the right choice.
“That time I was not playing, so me and my wife said okay. They gave me a very big offer, and I said let’s go, and after one or two years, I’ll come back. But I stayed eight years.”
“Shanghai is a good city for me, my kids, my family. They love Shanghai, and that’s why I left. But in the beginning, I didn’t want to really leave because I love Chelsea and everyone loved me,” he further stated.
After eight seasons in China, Oscar returned to Brazil, in the league where his career began, signing for Sao Paulo in 2024.
He scored two goals and made four assists in twelve appearances in his first season.
Watch the interview below:
FKA/JE
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