In November, Shanghai Port celebrated a third Chinese Super League (CSL) title but it was not all smiles, hugs and songs. There were tears too as, after eight years at the club, Oscar said goodbye to fans who begged him to stay. The midfielder, still youthful-looking at 33, had closed ears as well as wet eyes and as 2024 ended, confirmed that he was heading home to São Paulo.
Fans and their captain had been through a lot together: success, near misses, the exodus of other stars, the world’s longest and strictest lockdown and the financial issues that crippled some of Shanghai’s rivals. His departure not only marks the end of an era for the player and the club but also the country’s football scene. The last of the big signings made by CSL clubs in the previous decade has now departed. Much has changed since December 2016. When Oscar left Chelsea in a £60m deal he was the most recent – and ultimately one of the last – famous names to head east. Few knew at the time that the spending was slowing down.
