Former Chelsea player Oscar discharged from hospital after heart scare

SAO PAULO (AP) – Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar has been released from hospital, five days after being admitted with a heart issue.

Oscar’s current club, Sao Paulo said in a statement that the player had been discharged on Sunday.

It added that extensive tests had revealed Oscar had “experienced an episode of vasovagal syncope,” a common cause in fainting after a sudden drop in blood pressure or heart rate.

“Stable and clinically well throughout his hospital stay, the athlete will now follow a medical program of rest for the next few days,” the statement continued.

Oscar was taken by ambulance to Einstein Hospital Israelita on Tuesday after collapsing during pre-season testing. He was reportedly unconscious for about two minutes and his club said at the time that he “presented a complication with cardiac changes.”

The 34-year-old has a contract with Sao Paulo until 2027. He returned to his boyhood club on a free transfer last December after a long spell in China.

Oscar won one Europa League title and two Premier League trophies with Chelsea, which he joined in 2012.

He moved to Shanghai in the middle of Chelsea’s 2016-17 season for a transfer fee reported to be $73 million. He won three Super League titles in China and became a fan favorite in Asia.

Oscar played for Brazil at the 2014 World Cup where he scored the only goal in its 7-1 semifinal defeat to Germany, which went on to win the tournament.