Did ex-Chelsea Star Oscar Leave European Football Too Early In Career

One thing we have really seen in recent years is the growing influence of China and the USA in football. More and more players are leaving Europe, particularly at the end of their careers, and earning massive wages in leagues which are far weaker than the ones they have left.

The USA was the first real location for players approaching the twilight of their career. David Beckham was the first high profile player to move to the States when he left Real Madrid to join LA Galaxy in 2007. He had a couple of short spells in Europe in the following years, but he really paved the way for players to move to America.

In recent years, the likes of Frank Lampard, Thierry Henry and David Villa have all moved to the MLS, with varying levels of success. What we have seen though, over the last couple of years is the emergence of China as an option for players, with Chinese clubs offering extraordinary wages to players.

Because of the money on offer in China, we have seen a change in the type of players who have left European football. No longer is it just players approaching the end of their career who are looking for one last big pay day, it is players who we still think have a lot to offer, and are probably too good for the level of football played in those countries. Oscar is one such player.

Oscar is perhaps the biggest name to leave Europe for China in recent years. He joined Chelsea in 2012 after the Blues won the Champions League for the first time, and was an important part of the side that won the Premier League and Europa League during his time with the English club. In his four and a half years at Chelsea, he appeared over 200 times in all competitions, scoring 38 goals.

He was also an important member of the Brazil side and was named in the World Cup Team of the Tournament in 2014. However, he struggled to make an impact under Antonio Conte at Chelsea and moved to Shanghai SIPG in January 2017 in a deal worth £60 million. He hasn’t had the most successful time in China and was given an eight match ban for his role in a brawl against Guangzhou R&F in June 2017. He is still more than capable of doing a job at a top European club.