Oscar won the Premier League at Chelsea before making his shock move to China
The Brazilian racked up an impressive 77 goals and 141 assists at the Chinese side
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By BEN WILLCOCKS
Published: 03:03 EST, 5 December 2024 | Updated: 03:16 EST, 5 December 2024
Former Chelsea star Oscar broke down in floods of tears on Wednesday night as he emotionally waved farewell to Shanghai Port after eight years at the Chinese club.
Oscar, 33, left Stamford Bridge to sign for the Chinese Super League outfit in December 2016, shocking world football as Shanghai SIPG — whose name changed to Shanghai Port in 2021 — splashed out a huge £67million transfer fee on the Brazilian.
The attacking midfielder, who officially joined the Chinese club in January 2017, spent five years with Chelsea between 2012 and 2017, racking up 38 goals and 36 assists across 203 games.
He was part of the team that lifted the Premier League title under Jose Mourinho in 2014-15, while he also won the League Cup and Europa League during his spell at Stamford Bridge.
The former Brazil international also has Chelsea's 2016-17 Premier League title triumph on his portfolio of honours, given that he spent the first half of that season under Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.
During his eight years with the Chinese giants, Oscar has made 248 appearances — racking up an impressive 77 goals and 141 assists.
Oscar looks tearful as he waves goodbye to supporters after an eight-year spell
The Brazilian could not hide his emotional after calling an end to his time at the club
After 8 years at the club, Oscar is set to leave Chinese side Shanghai Port.
He was moved to tears as fans begged him to stay after yesterday’s game… pic.twitter.com/fWefwZaW8c
— george (@StokeyyG2) December 4, 2024
Oscar earned approximately £160m from his reported £20m-a-year salary at the Shanghai club
The Brazilian has also pocketed a hefty retirement fund, earning approximately £160m from his reported £20m-a-year salary in Shanghai.
Oscar, who won three league titles during his eight-year spell in the Far East, also has 48 caps for Brazil to his name, making his last appearance for the nation back in 2015.
Footage shared to social media on Wednesday showed the tearful midfielder with his head in his hands waving an emotional goodbye to supporters.
As Shanghai Port fans chanted the Brazilian's name, Oscar put his head in his hands and cried before team-mates surrounded him and dressed him in a club scarf.
The 33-year-old veteran has yet to announce his retirement from football and has been heavily linked with a move back to Europe, as well as a transfer to his homeland.
Oscar is on the radar of Brazilian outfit Internacional, whose manager Eduardo Coudet said earlier this year: 'Our only goal, the player we are going to try moving forward, is Oscar. I want to bring in Oscar.
'I've already spoken to his manager, he can't stand me anymore. I want Oscar. The board ask me not to talk, but sometimes I talk too much.'
Oscar also opened the door for a shock return to Chelsea back in May, claiming he 'dreams' of playing for the Blues again.
Oscar was a Premier League winner at Chelsea before making his surprise switch to China
He opened the door for a shock return, claiming he 'dreams' of playing for Chelsea again in May
'It’s of course a dream to come back to Chelsea,' the 31-year-old told talkSPORT ahead of the summer transfer window. 'Everyone knows the passion that I have for this club.
'I have a lot of good memories from there... I still have dreams to play for this team. So if I can come back to Europe or to Chelsea, then hopefully we can talk.'
Despite his interest in a move back to Stamford Bridge, the midfielder may find he no longer fits into Chelsea's recruitment strategy, given the Blues have the youngest squad in the Premier League.
Keen on building a dynasty for the future, Chelsea have placed their focus on young players in the transfer market under owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Enzo Maresca, whose Chelsea side sit second in the Premier League after their 5-1 over Southampton on Wednesday, urged that his team are not in a title race but can 'dominate' English football in years to come given the youthful average age of their squad.