Former Brazilian footballer Oscar, a two-time Premier League champion with Chelsea, was hospitalized on Sunday after being admitted five days ago due to heart problems, according to his current club São Paulo.
The 34-year-old midfielder suffered a "vasovagal syncope", also known as a fainting spell, during routine medical examinations at the club's training center on Tuesday. This type of fainting is caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate, which reduces the amount of blood flowing to the brain.
According to local media, Oscar, who has played in Brazil, England, and China, may be forced to retire early.
São Paulo said in a statement on Sunday that their player was "stable and in good clinical condition throughout his stay in the hospital" and that he will follow a "medical rest program in the coming days".
Since 2011, Oscar played 48 international matches for the Brazilian national team, scoring 12 goals, before playing his last international match in 2015.
At the 2014 World Cup, Oscar scored the only goal for "Seleção" in their historic 1-7 defeat to Germany at the famous Maracanã Stadium in the semi-final.
He came through the ranks at São Paulo before moving to Internacional, then joined Chelsea after winning a silver medal with the Brazil Olympic team at the 2012 London Olympics.
With the London club (2012-2016), he played over 200 matches and won the league title twice (2014-2015 and 2016-2017), as well as the Europa League in 2013.
Oscar's career took a different turn when he moved to China, where he played for Shanghai Port for eight years before returning to São Paulo at the end of 2024.
After a promising start to 2025 in the São Paulo state championship (two goals and four assists in 12 matches), injuries in the second half of the year limited him to just six matches in the Brazilian Serie A.
