A Recurring Issue: Ex-Chelsea Star Oscar Hospitalised With Heart Problem

A Recurring Issue: Ex-Chelsea Star Oscar Hospitalised With Heart Problem

On Wednesday morning, yet another sad instalment of football players’ hearts struggling to keep up with the demand struck the game, with former Chelsea and Shanghai Port star Oscar the unfortunate target.

According to reports, the former Chelsea and current Sao Paulo midfielder was undergoing tests on an exercise bike ahead of the new Brazilian Serie A season when he collapsed and became unresponsive. Although further details are sparse, and the severity of the condition remains unknown, it has now been confirmed that the former blue is in a stable condition.

🚨 Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar is in a stable condition in hospital after falling ill with a heart issue.

The 34-year-old reportedly became unwell while undergoing testing before the new season at Sao Paulo's training centre.

Oscar was using an exercise bike when he… pic.twitter.com/nYpAEfzut7

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) November 12, 2025

The Brazilian, who left Chelsea for the Chinese Super League in 2017 for a £52 million fee, returned to his boyhood Sao Paulo in January this year, having achieved unprecedented success in Asia.

Playing his first season in the Brazilian top flight since 2012, Oscar featured 21 times as Sao Paulo managed an eighth-place finish - however, Oscar’s last appearance came all the way back in August against Corinthians, a game in which he suffered a fractured vertebra.

During examinations of the injury, it is rumoured that the medical staff registered irregular cardiac activity and that, subsequently, Oscar has been monitoring the heart issue for months in bid to make a healthy return.

It is far from the first occurrence of a well-known player suddenly suffering from heart issues, and although on this occasion it happened behind closed doors in a medical facility - the best place one could suffer a cardiac issue - there are plenty more that have left football shocked to its very core.

Why Does It Keep Happening?

Across the 2010s, we have seen a sharp increase in cardiac problems within the world of football, and though most victims survive, not everyone is so lucky.

Fabrice Muamba’s on-field collapse vs Tottenham, Christian Eriksen’s vs Finland, Tom Lockyer’s vs Bournemouth, I could go on - it certainly wasn’t as frequent an occurrence in the 80s and 90s.

Defensive midfield - Fabrice Muamba

Suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Bolton in 2012 where his heart stopped for 78 minutes.

Retired from football at the age of 23 as a result.

Prior to that, he was a regular starter in the Premier League.

Currently a youth coach. pic.twitter.com/cU8byy9nyd

— Ryan Dilks (@RyanDilks1) July 11, 2023

Of course, football is an intensely physical game, and players put their own health at risk every time they take to the field - inevitably at some point, it is bound to happen, as it is in everyday life. However, the clear uptick in cardiovascular malfunctions correlates with an increased number of games a side has to play each season.

This means many players play more and more competitive minutes every season, and alongside training and gym sessions, these can take their toll on even the healthiest individuals.

Such conditions have taken both players and managers from us in the past - Benfica’s Miklos Feher passed away after collapsing in injury time against Vitoria de Guimaraes in 2004, while just a couple of weeks ago, the coach of Bosnian side FK Radnickin 1923, Mladen Zizovic, suffered a cardiac arrest on the touchline 21 minutes into a league fixture. He was pronounced dead by half-time.

Football is a high-stakes game - blood pressure is high, the stress is constant, and both players and managers are always driving their bodies and minds to get just that little bit more out of them.

However, the welfare of those that give their blood, sweat and tears on the line each and every week is, in my opinion, not placed highly enough on the list of any FA you are willing to mention. Granted, response and education have improved greatly thanks to more recent, high-profile examples, but there is still no excuse for a player suffering from a cardiac issue while still registered as a professional player.

The incident with Oscar will likely be used as a case study in future years - the medical staff appear to have known about irregularities in his cardiac activity and yet decided to test him ahead of the new season anyway, when in reality he should have been seriously considering retirement.

Oscar won many hearts during his time at Chelsea , may the good lord grant him strength and healing in this tough times 🙏💙 pic.twitter.com/cgHcHXMkHe

— OB (@CFC_OBED) November 12, 2025

Whatever the case, the Brazilian is certainly now thinking about it - though the likes of Eriksen and Lockyear made their way back to professional football after their respective collapses, Oscar is 34, and however much he loves the game, he should not be putting it above his own well-being.

Further news of his condition will likely be released in the next couple of days, and a decision on his career should come soon after. As a Chelsea and, more broadly, a football fan, I hope he makes the right choice.