Oscar shocked the footballing world in December 2016 when he departed Chelsea for Shanghai SIPG in the prime years of his career. Just how is the Brazilian faring in the Chinese Super League?

The former Brazilian international joined Shanghai SIPG for a CSL record transfer fee in the region of £52 Million on December 23rd, 2016. The owners of Shanghai SIPG will certainly tell you the transfer was money well spent as the 27-year-old was crucial in firing SIPG to its first CSL title in 2018.

Brought to the club by owners with the sole aim of bringing a maiden Chinese Super League to Shanghai, the Brazilian’s first season in China ended in disappointment. Despite historically reaching the Asian Champions League Semi-Final for the first time in club history, SIPG finished second in the CSL, six points behind Guangzhou Evergrande who secured a seven straight title in the process.

Personally, for Oscar, his first season in China had a lot of up and downs, to say the least. The Brazilian recorded a reasonable 3 goals and 12 assists in the CSL. However, Oscar made news worldwide as he incited a mass brawl which resulted in an 8 match ban and 40,000 RMB fine for the 27-year-old.

The incident started as referee Zhou Gang allowed Hulk’s equaliser against Guangzhou R&F to stand. Amidst protests from the Guangzhou players who felt the goal was offside Oscar kicked the ball into two R&F players sparking a melee that saw a player from either side dismissed.

Oscar’s second season in China will be the season the Brazilian is remembered for when his time in Shanghai comes to an end. A vital part of the Shanghai SIPG team that brought a first-ever Chinese Super League title to the club. Alongside fellow Brazilian Hulk and CSL top scorer Wu Lei, Oscar produced a historical season in which he broke the CSL assist record with 19.

SIPG became the first team in eight years to win the title breaking Guangzhou Evergrande’s hold over the league. In the 2018 season, Oscar scored 12 goals and contributed a record 19 assists. The Brazilian was deservingly voted into the 2018 Chinese Super League team of the season alongside three of his teammates, Hulk, Wu Lei, and Jan Yunling.

In his 51 CSL games at SIPG, the former Brazilian international has scored 15 goals and provided 31 assists in a hugely productive spell at the club.

It’s hard to believe that just five years ago Oscar was named in the 2014 FIFA World Cup team of the tournament. In a World Cup that most Brazilian’s may still have nightmares over, Oscar was a bright spark that provided two goals. The most notable a consolation goal in the 7-1 Semi-Final demolition at the hands of Germany in Belo Horizonte.

In his four years at Chelsea, Oscar won two Premier League titles, one League Cup, and one UEFA Europa League. At the age of 27, the former Brazilian international still has aspirations to return to European football but it could well be too little too late.

Without an international cap since 2015, will the once highly touted Brazilian return to European football in a bid to return to The Seleção fold? With his contract at Shanghai SIPG ending in 2020, it is certainly something to keep an eye on.