Oscar
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| Oscar | |
| |
| Full Name | Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior |
| Date of Birth | 9 September 1991 |
| Place of Birth | Americana, Brazil |
| Position | Midfielder |
| Chelsea career | 2012–2016 |
| Debut | 19 August 2012 |
| Games (goals) | 203 (38) |
| Other clubs | São Paulo Internacional Shanghai SIPG |
Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior, known simply as Oscar, is a Brazilian international midfielder who played for Chelsea from 2012 until 2016. Comfortable in various midfield positions, from the traditional "10" role behind the strikers to linking play in deeper roles, he made an immediate impact with a stunning brace against Juventus and went on to appear over 200 times for the Blues, although over a quarter of his appearances were as a substitute. Ultimately he proved surplus to requirements under Antonio Conte and was sold to Shanghai SIPG for a fee in the region of £52m; a record fee received for a Chelsea player.
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Before Chelsea
Born in Americana in the state of São Paulo, Oscar joined the academy of local side União Barbarense at a young age before his talent caught the eye of São Paulo FC who signed him in 2009. Despite still being aged just 17, Oscar made 11 appearances for the first team in his debut season. The following season he joined Internacional on a free transfer, following a contract dispute regarding unpaid wages. The youngster's agent also claimed that as he had signed for more than three years when he was 16 – in contravention of FIFA rules – rendering his contract void. [1]
Having made 6 appearances for Internacional in the 2010 season, in 2011 he established himself in the first team, making 44 appearances in all competitions while contributing 13 goals and 10 assists. He also enhanced his reputation internationally by scoring a hat-trick for Brazil in the Under-20 World Cup Final mid-way through the year. Meanwhile the contractual dispute dragged on, with São Paulo continuing to claim that the player was theirs. The dispute was eventually resolved in May 2012.
Prior to Oscar's appearance at the 2012 Olympic Games in London the midfielder had been rumoured to be on the verge of a move to Chelsea, and upon his arrival in the UK on 17 July he underwent a medical with the club. [2] The deal was confirmed the following week, the midfielder signing a five year contract and joining for a reported fee of £25m [3], though in Brazil the figure was reported as €25m (£20m). When asked about Oscar's ability prior to the Games, Brazil manager Mano Menezes replied "Put it this way, he wears the No.10 for Brazil and we don't give that shirt out to just anybody." [4]
Chelsea career
2012-13
Although Oscar was now establishing himself as a Premier League starter, it was in the UEFA Champions League in which he continued to find the net, scoring against Shakhtar Donetsk both away and at home (the latter a spectacular long-range effort), while also capping a 6-1 home win in the final group game against Nordsjælland; a result that couldn't prevent Chelsea exiting the competition at the group stage for the first time. By this time Di Matteo had been sacked and replaced with Rafael Benítez. The Spaniard's early selections suggested that he had doubts about the youngster's suitability as a starter, or would at least use the young Brazilian more sparingly, with Oscar starting just three of Benítez's first seven matches in charge. In February Oscar came off the bench to score the only goal of the game away against Sparta Prague, helping Chelsea progress through what was a tight tie. Although he often featured in a right-sided wide position for the remainder of the season, where his abilities were perhaps not fully exploited, he nonetheless was now starting regularly, and contributed seven goals over the second half of the season, helping the Blues to a third place finish in a season in which he made a remarkable 65 appearances in all competitions, scoring 13 goals. He also would pick up his first winners' medal as a Chelsea player in his first season; playing the full 90 minutes as the Blues won the UEFA Europa League.
2013-14
With Juan Mata yet to regain full fitness following injury at the start of the 2013-14 season, Oscar started the campaign as returning manager José Mourinho's first choice in the 'number 10' central attacking midfield role. He scored the opening goal of the campaign with a cool finish against Hull City, and was a stand-out performer as a resilient Chelsea side lost on penalties in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup.
International
An international at every level from Under-15 up, Oscar first came to international prominence when he scored a hat-trick in the final of the 2011 FIFA Under-20 World Cup; a 3-2 extra-time win against Portugal. He made his senior debut the same year, and had won six caps (scoring one goal) by the time he joined Chelsea. He also represented his country at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, winning a silver medal after Brazil lost to Mexico in the final.
Statistics
- See also: List of Oscar goals
| Season | Prem | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2012-13 | 34 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 64 | 12 |
| 2013-14 | 33 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 11 |
| 2014-15 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 7 |
| 2015-16 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 8 |
| 2016-17 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Total | 131 | 21 | 16 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 39 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 203 | 38 |
Correct as of 13 December 2016
