Na big news for football world today as Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Junior, wey dem dey call Oscar, don finally hang him boots. The Brazilian midfielder wey play for Chelsea before, don announce him retirement from professional football at age 34. The reason na serious heart problem wey nearly kill am last year November.
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Oscar collapse during training with Sao Paulo, him boyhood club wey he return to play for in 2024. The thing wey happen na vasovagal syncope, wey make him blood pressure drop suddenly and him faint. According to reports, the man dey unconscious for about two minutes before dem revive am. The club say na “complication with cardiac changes” wey require surgery.
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Since that November incident, Oscar never play single minute for Sao Paulo again. The contract wey suppose last until 2027 don end this week after both sides agree to terminate am. For statement wey the club release, Oscar talk say: “Sao Paulo, I wanted to play more. Now I’m going to retire and I will continue to cheer for Sao Paulo, I will continue with my life as a fan.”
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The man career statistics na something to admire. He play 556 professional matches, score 136 goals and give 203 assists. Him clubs include Sao Paulo (in two different periods), Internacional, Chelsea, and Shanghai SIPG for China. For national team level, Oscar wear Brazil jersey 48 times and score 12 goals. He also represent Brazil for 2012 London Olympics.
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Oscar himself don yarn about how serious the health scare be. “I’m better now to talk about this,” he say. “Every time I talked about these things, I got quite emotional. Then they gave me a cardiac massage, another two minutes. Then I just remember my fainting. Everyone says that when you’re going to die, you leave the body. You are unconscious and you are in a dream that is very good. It’s very fast, isn’t it? And then I could see my son talking, like saying: ‘Come back, dad’.”
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For Chelsea where he play from 2012, Oscar win Europa League title and two Premier League trophies. Him move to Shanghai SIPG for China in 2016-17 season shock many people because the transfer fee reach $73 million. For China, he win three Super League titles and become fan favorite for Asia.
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Meanwhile, for other football news wey involve Oscar name, Pisa football club for Italy dey struggle to avoid relegation under coach Oscar Hiljemark. The Swedish coach take over in February but only get one win in seven matches. Pisa dey bottom of Serie A table and dem need miracle to survive.
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For Netherlands, Ajax Amsterdam suffer another defeat as dem lose 2-1 to FC Twente. The loss make Twente climb above Ajax for table. Ajax manager Oscar Garcia don fail to impress in him three games in charge. The team get 25 points less than this time last season.
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But the main gist na about Oscar retirement. Football fans worldwide dey remember him skills, especially him time for Chelsea where he shine as creative midfielder. The heart problem wey force am to retire serve as reminder say footballers na human beings with health concerns too.
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