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Former Chelsea star released from hospital after heart condition diagnosis
Martin Macdonald
- 17 Nov 2025 14:05 GMT
- 6 min read
News
Former Chelsea star Oscar has been released from hospital after being diagnosed with a heart issue that causes blood pressure to drop.
Last week, the current São Paulo star was rushed to hospital after collapsing during a cycling exercise during training.
A few days later, he was diagnosed with vasovagal syncope. A description of the condition from the Mayo Clinic reads:
"Vasovagal syncope occurs when you faint because your body overreacts to certain triggers. These may include the sight of blood or extreme emotional distress. Vasovagal syncope also is called neurocardiogenic syncope.
"The vasovagal syncope trigger causes your heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly. That leads to reduced blood flow to your brain, causing you to briefly lose consciousness.
"Vasovagal syncope is usually harmless and requires no treatment. But it's possible that you may injure yourself during a vasovagal syncope episode. Your healthcare professional may recommend tests to rule out more-serious causes of fainting, such as heart conditions."
It is one of the most common causes of fainting.
There was naturally a lot of concern regarding Oscar following his admission to the hospital, and his club released the below statement not long after the incident:
"Midfielder Oscar remains hospitalised at Einstein Hospital Israelita, where he was admitted on Tuesday afternoon after presenting an intercurrence with cardiological changes during exams carried out at SuperCT. An extensive investigation carried out at the hospital confirmed the diagnosis of vasovagal syncope. Oscar remains clinically well and stable, hospitalised in a cardiology unit, and this Friday will undergo an electrophysiological study."
Will Oscar retire from football?
The 34-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a fine career and won two Premier League titles with Chelsea as well as the Europa League and a League Cup.
He hit headlines in December of 2016 when he became one of the highest profile players to move to the newly-rich Chinese Super League as he signed for Shanghai Port for a fee of £60 million.
In 2024 he returned to his first club, São Paulo.
When the incident initially happened, many assumed that Oscar would retire due to this heart issue. Even though the diagnosis isn't life threatening, the Brazilian is reportedly considering hanging up his boots.
A report from Brazilian newspaper O Globo reads:
"According to a specialist heard by Globo, the problem is not life-threatening and can be solved with medication or simple surgical intervention, where a ganglion is cauterized to avoid getting out of control. Also, according to the expert, Oscar may be able to return to football if everything goes well and he feels comfortable to do so. For now, Oscar still has no discharge forecast. At the age of 34, he evaluates with his family whether he will announce his retirement or continue in football. The biggest tendency is for him to leave professional football."
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