Name: Oscar dos Santos Emoboaba Junior
Place of Birth: Sao Paulo, Brazil
D.O.B: 9th September 1991
Position: CAM/CF
Clubs: Sao Paulo, Internacional.
While many of you may have heard of the emerging talent that is Santo’s attacking midfielder Ganso Henrique, not too many will have heard of a diminutive playmaker by the name of Oscar. While I have had many debated as to why I believe Ganso is just another product of an agent or chairman over hyping their player in order to look for financial gain, Oscar in my opinion is the real deal. Don't get me wrong Ganso is a good player but not worth the £20m price tag Santos slapped on his four months ago. Ok so I may be over hyping the former Sao Paulo man too as he hasn’t made any significant impact in his career so far, but once he competes in the U20 World Cup in Colombia this summer, the top clubs may just be opening their eyes to him.
He was a product of the Sao Paulo youth team playing alongside other emerging talents such as Lucas, Casemiro, Bruno Uvini and broke into the first team aged just 17 making 11 appearances and instantly impressing. Unfortunately for Sao Paulo there was a contractual dispute in which Oscar’s agent claimed money owed to both himself and the player which was promised by the club had not materialised and consequently Oscar’s representatives argued that his contract with the club was null and void leaving the door open for fellow Brazilian club Internacional to take him under their wing.
At Internacional he flourished slowly but surely, his time there although a short one so far, has been very mixed. He was blighted with injuries in his first season only able to make a handful of appearances but each time he stepped onto the pitch you could see there was something special about him. He had a good touch; dribbling technique is excellent and can pick out a pass. Due to his small demeanor he can turn on a six pence thanks to a low centre of gravity but my only worry is his physical abilities and he may find it hard when up against physically strong opposition. He had a better second season making 24 league starts, scoring an impressive 10 goals. Possessing a lethal long shot he is a danger when outside the box too. He was key in helping to score as well as provide goals and there was surprising talk of him representing Brazil at the Copa America, but this did not happen and has instead been selected for the U20 WC.
With only a week to go before the U20 WC there has been alot of talk of other talents such as Inter Milan’s Coutinho and Sao Paulo’s Casemiro, Oscar was hardly mentioned in previews online and in magazines. I believe he will be the difference in this tournament and demand will be high for him once it is over. Although I do not think that he will make it to Europe until, after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil his talents along with the other in that young Brazilian team make them alongside Spain as the favourites to leave Colombia as world champions. It’s only a matter of time before the big European clubs will be fighting for his signature, then we will see what this little wonder kid can really do.
My Prediction: I see him signing for a La Liga club or maybe even a club such as Porto or Benfica where he can get a feel for European football. My only worry is that he will go to a massive club such as Real Madrid or AC Milan and may find appearances limited which may stifle his development but none the less he will be one to watch out for in the future.