Former Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Oscar has retired from soccer five months after being admitted to the hospital with a heart issue, Brazilian club São Paulo said on Saturday.
São Paulo said the 34-year-old Oscar finalized the termination of his contract with the team this week. The deal was set to run until the end of 2027.
Oscar hasn’t played for Sao Paulo since experiencing vasovagal syncope — a common cause in fainting after a sudden drop in blood pressure or heart rate — in November, requiring surgery. He collapsed during preseason testing and was reportedly unconscious for about two minutes.
São Paulo said at the time he “presented a complication with cardiac changes.”
“My heart stopped for about two and a half minutes, it was a shock,” Oscar said via social media on Saturday.
“Today I’m better able to talk about it; before, I would get emotional. I took the test, ended up fainting, my blood pressure dropped, and my heart stopped. Then they performed CPR for more than two minutes. I only remember fainting, nothing else.
“Everyone says that when you’re about to die, you leave your body. I had sensations like that. You’re unconscious, you’re in a very good dream. It’s very fast, I could see my son saying: ‘Come back, dad!’
Oscar had waived some of the money in his contract, which was set to run until Dec. 31, 2027, to amicably end his ties to São Paulo, ESPN had reported.
He scored two goals and provided five assists in 21 games for the club.
“It’s difficult, I wanted to do more for São Paulo. I think I had the footballing ability and the age, I could have endured more. But unfortunately this happened and now I’m going to retire. I’ll continue my life as a fan now.”
São Paulo was also Oscar’s boyhood club. He moved onto Internacional in Brazil before a £25 million move to Chelsea in 2012. He won two Premier Leagues and the Europa League with Chelsea.
Oscar spent eight seasons with Shanghai Port in China before returning to his first club.
He won 48 caps for Brazil.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
