RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Sao Paulo midfielder Oscar has decided to retire from professional football after being diagnosed with heart problems, according to Brazilian media reports.
The 34-year-old informed people close to him of his decision not to risk further complications following an incident that left him in intensive care last month, Globo Esporte said.
Oscar returned to Sao Paulo, his boyhood club, on a three-year deal last December after successful spells with Chelsea and Shanghai Port. Injuries, including a lumbar fracture in July, limited him to 21 matches this year, in which he scored two goals and provided five assists.
The former Brazil international is expected to meet Sao Paulo officials in the coming days to seek the termination of a contract that runs until 2027. Sao Paulo is understood to be considering offering him an off-field role.
Oscar collapsed during a fitness test at the club's Barra Funda training center on Nov. 11 and was taken to the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo, where he spent five days under observation, including time in an intensive care unit.
Doctors later diagnosed the player with vasovagal syncope, a temporary loss of consciousness caused by a drop in blood pressure and heart rate. Local media said Oscar was unconscious for around two minutes before paramedics arrived. The tests were part of his recovery from a calf injury.
It was not the first cardiac scare of the year for Oscar. In August, examinations carried out while he was being treated for a vertebra injury sustained against Corinthians detected heart irregularities, but he was cleared to continue playing after no serious condition was found. ■
