How does Oscar "Little Golden Man" exist in today's Chinese Super League? In the 2023 season, one statistic is appropriately summarized. Oscar reportedly took part in a total of 205 attacking turns that ended in a shot on goal in the 2023 Chinese Super League season, at least 35 more than any other player (below).
Taking a closer look at this stat sheet, Wu Lei is ranked second, taking part in Shanghai Port's offense that ended with a shot on goal 170 times. In other words, Oscar + Wu Lei, Shanghai players, participated in Shanghai Port's offense with 375 shots on goal. What kind of state is this? It's a process where Oscar keeps feeding cakes and Wu Lei keeps spitting cakes or scoring goals. No wonder Wu Lei can rank second in the scorer list.
Wu Lei is powerful because of Oscar feeding the cake. Without Oscar, Wu Lei's role and performance should be at least 30% or even 60% discounted.
By the same token, Shanghai Hong Kong with Oscar, and Shanghai Hong Kong without Oscar, are two completely different levels of teams.
Oscar's inconsistent appearances during the 2022 season caused Shanghai to drop to fourth place in the league. Although there was no systematic preparation at the beginning of the season, Oscar's prolonged absence was paramount.
Last August, Wu Lei returned and in September, played for him in Hong Kong in the Chinese Super League. However, without Oscar's precise feeding of the cake, he worked hard but did not play a key role in Hong Kong's rise in the rankings.
The 2022 season not only showed the outside world how important Oscar is to Shanghai Ports, but also how important Oscar is to Shanghai Ports. That's why Oscar wanted to go back to Brazil to play at the time, but Shanghai refused to say anything - it still needed Oscar! Without Oscar, Wu Lei can't fly. Without Oscar, Shanghai means a lack of the heart and brain of the midfield organization.
After the 2023 season, Shanghai faces the same question again. What do I do if Oscar is eager to leave? Fortunately, Oscar's own interview reassured Shanghai.
From the Global Sports report, we can see that Oscar retains the option to play back in Brazil, but he will not choose to follow Hong Kong. In particular, Oscar's last sentence says: "My plan is to finish the last year of my contract at Shanghai Harbour and then see what happens."
Previously, many Hong Kong fans were worried that Oscar would return to Brazil to play soccer. Now, seeing Oscar's answer, it can be said that they are relieved in advance without worrying whether Oscar will play the Chinese Super League in the 2024 season.
Oscar's statement is very good for Hong Kong - there is a chance for the 2024 season! With Oscar, it would guarantee Wu Lei's goal-scoring and Shanghai Port's qualification for the title; with Oscar, playing in Hong Kong in the elite AFC Champions League would be tantamount to an injection of confidence.
Of course, Oscar's willingness to stay and play out his final contract year isn't because he has faith or because he wants to do charity work, it's because he has a real vested interest. After all, very few people are going to have a problem with money, especially a fat €20+ million. Now, when many Chinese Super League teams are in the predicament of defaulting on wages, Shanghai still supports Oscar, an expensive foreign aid. I can only sigh - it's good to be rich!
