Fifteen years after leaving China, Oscar has returned to Sao Paulo. The 33-year-old midfielder has even signed a new long-term contract in his home country.
The brief detour that many had suspected it would be was not. No, it really wasn’t. But now Oscar’s time in China is coming to an end – after three league titles and one cup victory.
On Christmas Eve, Sao Paulo announced that the 33-year-old midfielder had signed a contract until the end of 2027. Oscar will therefore be 36 when the new contract expires. Because his eight-year contract with Shanghai Port expires at the end of the year, the Brazilian will not cost any transfer fee.
“Oscar is a player who needs no introduction,” said club president Julio Casares. ‘His technical quality is hard to find on the market. I was personally involved in the negotiations and have been talking to him about this opportunity for over six months.’
Oscar was the last big name in the CSL
The playmaker left Sao Paulo at the end of 2009, first moving to SC Internacional in his home country before his star rose worldwide at Chelsea FC. He has 48 caps (twelve goals) to his name, but since his then highly controversial move to Shanghai Port at the beginning of 2017 for a reported €72 million, he has not played a single game for the Selecao. The quality of the Chinese Super League is too weak to be estimated.
Since Marouane Fellaini’s departure in November 2023, Oscar was the last remaining big name in the league. In December 2019, a month before the league introduced a salary cap for foreign players (three million euros), he extended his contract by five years.
According to media reports, he was earning €24 million after taxes per year. “China has incredible financial power and sometimes makes offers that are hard to refuse,” he had already revealed to Copa90 magazine after his 2017 move.
More former European players in the squad
“I’m happy to be back in Brazil and to be able to play for Sao Paulo, the club where I started,” Oscar said. He is “happy about this opportunity, and so is my family.” He is grateful for the affection he has received on social media in recent days.
Other former European players, such as Rafinha, Luiz Gustavo and Lucas Moura, play for the traditional club, which is coached by the Argentine Luis Zubeldia.