Oscar is set to leave China and laments: "the quality of life here doesn't exist anywhere else, I've never seen it"

247 - After eight years playing in China, Brazilian midfielder Oscar, 32, is preparing to leave the country. In an interview with Folha de S. Paulo from his apartment in Shanghai, overlooking the Huangpu River, the player spoke about his decision to leave, driven by the distance from home and the desire to reconnect with family. "My mother is getting older, my sisters are having children, we want to be close," he said. He and his wife are from Americana, in the interior of São Paulo, where their mothers still live.

Aside from the desire to be closer to family, his contract with Shanghai Port ends at the end of the year, and with new salary restrictions in the Chinese league, the chances of renewal are slim. Oscar was one of the last players signed under the old rules, which offered exorbitant salaries. In 2017, he left Chelsea for China, attracted by what was the third-highest salary in world football at the time.

As the contract comes to an end, Oscar has options in Brazil, Europe, and Qatar, but he has yet to make a decision. He expects to define his future in November when the Chinese season concludes. "My wife and I are anxious to see where we'll go. We've been here for seven, eight years, it's a big change," he confessed.