Ex-Chelsea star Oscar bids tearful goodbye to China after netting £175m in seven years
Oscar has stayed for nearly eight years in China with Shanghai Port since leaving Chelsea in a £60million transfer, helping them win five trophies while earning millions
Oscar has bid an emotional farewell to China after his lucrative contract with Shanghai Port expired.
The Brazilian playmaker was among the group of players who flooded to the Chinese Super League amid the boom in the 2010s. He joined Shanghai in January 2017, with the club paying Chelsea £60million for his services before putting him on a reported salary of £400,000 per week.
The 33-year-old has raked in around £175million in wages since then, staying for nearly eight years in the Chinese city. Oscar has made 248 appearances for Shanghai Port, who were previously known as Shanghai SIPG, scoring 77 goals and contributing 141 assists.
It was undoubtedly the huge wages on offer which lured Oscar to China, along with other Brazilian stars like Hulk, Robinho, Ramires and Paulinho, but unlike others, he has stayed put. Oscar has helped his side win the Chinese Super League title in 2018, 2023 and 2024, as well as the FA Super Cup in 2019 and the Chinese FA Cup this year.
READ MORE: Arsenal star Jorginho tells team-mates to 'find new club' if they've lost manager's trustREAD MORE: Gary Neville left fuming after 'childish' reaction to Arsenal goal from rival punditHis genuine connection with the club and their fans was shown on Tuesday after his final match for Shanghai. Oscar was overcome with emotion, shedding tears, as fans chanted “Oscar stay!” at him from the stands.
But with his contract expiring, Oscar has already made it clear that he will leave Shanghai in order to be closer to his family in Brazil. A move to his former club Internacional has been mooted with Inter manager Eduardo Coudet admitting: "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."
Speaking in September, Oscar explained why the time had come to move on. "I love Shanghai, but it's just too far away from home for us. We can't stay here forever," he said. "My mum is getting older, my sisters are having babies. We want to be closer to home.
"Wherever I go, it won't be like here. There's no way to change that. The quality of life in China is unique in the world. I've never seen anything like it in Europe. My kids go to school and come back home by bus without worrying about safety. We can go out as much as we want at 2am or 3am, and go anywhere and nothing will happen.
"There are no drugs here. It's something from another world. Only those who are here, living here, understand how it feels.”
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