Four years after their surprising departure for China, Chelsea remain a club that holds a special place in Oscar’s heart.
“I support Chelsea,” the Shanghai SIPG playmaker proudly announced to talkSPORT.
She has a feeling that he would happily talk about his time at Stamford Bridge for hours on end.
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Oscar left England in 2016 to play for Shanghai SIPG
Oscar made quite an impression during his stay in West London.
The Stamford Bridge faithful won the playmaker’s affection almost immediately when he scored a brilliant double against Juventus in his first Champions League appearance for the club.
The second goal that day was a blast and unsurprisingly ended up winning the club’s Goal of the Season award.
On the half turn, the Brazilian deftly threw the ball away from a Juventus defender before launching a sublime shot into the top corner with just his second touch.
In four and a half years with Chelsea, Oscar helped the Blues win the Premier League twice, along with the Europa League and the League Cup, scoring 38 goals in 203 appearances in all competitions.
However, what came next surprised many.
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Oscar played with some Premier League icons in Chelsea and won a Premier League title during his time in West London.
In December 2016, it was announced that Oscar would be leaving Chelsea in January 2017 to join Shanghai SIPG for some £ 60 million, with many questioning that decision for a player just entering his prime.
Oscar, now 29, has no regrets about moving to China, but his thoughts have already turned to the future and the Brazilian international now hopes to make a sensational return to Stamford Bridge to finish his career.
“I think about ending up at Chelsea because I had good times before at Chelsea,” admitted Oscar. “Chelsea helped me a lot to improve and to do what I always dreamed of. [of], which was to play the Champions League and they helped me to play the World Cup and win the Premier League.
“I have a lot of friends in Chelsea. If I have the opportunity to finish my career at Chelsea, it is a dream for me. Of course Chelsea don’t like to buy too many older players, which is normal because they are a top team in Europe, but I will do my best to be fit to finish there.
“When you win the Premier League, the Europa League and the League Cup, everything is great. When I scored my first two goals against Juventus in my first Champions League game, it was incredible.
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Oscar played with players like Lampard, Hazard and Terry in his Chelsea days
“But I always remember a game where we played Arsenal and we won 2-0 and I didn’t score a goal, but I did eight or nine tackles and when they traded me in the 88th minute, it was like I scored. three goals in the game.
“This is what the English fans like and what the Premier League is. You don’t need to score much. You have to give everything and this is what I will always remember with me ”.
Oscar has since won the Chinese Super League with Shanghai SIPG, but winning the Premier League title with Chelsea remains one of the proudest moments of his career.
“Yes, of course, he is one of the greats,” continued the Brazilian international.
“I won it twice. The other time I came to China in the middle of the season and in the end they won with Conte and I played more than 14 or 15 games.
“It’s a very difficult league, so when you win the Premier League it’s incredible. Players who already play in England know the Premier League and how difficult the Premier League is. I am very proud to have won the Premier League.
«It is difficult to choose three [players who were the best to play with] because there were a lot of good players. I think i will take [John] Terry y [Frank] Lampard. They need to be there because Terry is the captain and legend of the club and so is Lampard.
Oscar worked with Hazard under Mourinho, where they won a title
«Later, maybe [Eden] Hazard because I really like the way Hazard plays. We play very well together. These three were amazing to me when we played together.
During his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge, Oscar wore jersey number eleven, but decided to trade for Didier Drogba’s return to the club for a second season, with the Ivory Coast striker eager to regain his old team number.
Oscar opted for number eight, a bold move given that it made him the first player to wear that jersey following the departure of club legend Frank Lampard at the end of his contract.
Some players feel a weight of expectation when they take a number previously held by a club legend or star player. But not Oscar.
If you felt any pressure on your shoulders after making that switch, it certainly didn’t show on the field, with the midfielder scoring 15 goals over the next two seasons.
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He said: “I was very proud to have the number eight jersey after Lampard. Before I was very proud of having the eleven because when I arrived I took the eleven and the eleven shirt was that of Drogba, who has just scored in the Champions League final for the club and is one of the best scorers in the club.
“I already had a bit of pressure with the eleven, but I did very well and tried to play my football. After that, taking number eight was also amazing because he was a huge fan of Lampard. He was one of my idols, so I tried to do everything I learned from him because he was one of the best players who played on the wing ”.
Oscar still watches Chelsea when he can to this day and one player who has become an important member of the Blues team is Mason Mount, who scored a surprising winner against Liverpool when the Blues went unbeaten ten games under Thomas Tuchel. Thursday night. .
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Mount, who scored the winning goal against Liverpool this week, has caught Oscar’s attention
Mount received the captain’s armband from Frank Lampard in his last game as Chelsea manager against Luton Town in the FA Cup and has continued to play a significant role under Tuchel since his appointment, despite being eliminated for the German’s first game.
One would think, given his strong form this season, that Mount will be part of Gareth Southgate’s England team for the European Championships this summer and Oscar has been impressed by what he has seen.
“I like it,” Oscar finished.
“Sometimes he doesn’t play like me, but sometimes I look at him and I can see a bit of myself there because I also came to Chelsea when I was very young and played good football.
“I really like him. It has everything you need to improve. He scores goals, does important things and knows how to defend and attack. I really like him.”
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