Just after winning the "double crown," Shanghai Port fans were hit with a double shock - the team's "big and small kings" were announced to be leaving one after another, leaving all lingering hopes shattered. Coincidentally, this happened during the Christmas period, and Shanghai Port fans did not expect that their Christmas gift would be something they least wanted to see.
A few days ago, Oscar's move to Brazilian giants Sao Paulo was officially announced, and Shanghai Port quickly followed up with an announcement of the departure of the "Golden Boy." Although many Shanghai Port fans knew that Oscar's departure was inevitable, they were still quite surprised to hear the news at this moment. After all, from Oscar's attachment to Shanghai Port and Shanghai in recent times, it gave many people the illusion that this "captain" who had served for 8 years was reluctant to leave the team and the city.
However, upon returning to Brazil, Oscar quickly severed all emotional ties with Shanghai Port and made the decision to join another club, signing a contract within just a few days. So, sentiment cannot sustain a career; economic interests are what truly matter.
After Shanghai Port announced Oscar's departure, everyone was waiting for the second shoe to drop. Unexpectedly, it came quickly as well, and a few days later, Shanghai Port also announced the departure of Balagas (as shown in the above image). Contrary to Oscar's announcement, Balagas' new club has not yet been officially announced, and Shanghai Port did not mention where Balagas is going in their departure announcement; instead, they issued the announcement in advance, before Balagas' new club could do so.
Another departure! Together, they make up the "big and small kings." This has left many Shanghai Port fans very saddened, with many expressing their dissatisfaction in the comments section of the official Weibo account (as shown below). Some fans believe this is an accident for which no one can be held accountable and hope the club will learn from it.
Some fans think that announcing the departure of the "big and small kings" within a week is a surprise or a scare for the fans? Was any consideration given to the feelings of the fans? Some expressed their frustration, saying that this year's Christmas gifts are all shocks. Other fans directly expressed their dissatisfaction with the Football Association.
It turns out that due to the salary cap requirements of the Football Association, the annual salary of foreign players cannot exceed 3 million euros, and the total annual salary of each team's foreign players cannot exceed 10 million euros. This is the main reason why Oscar and Balagas found it difficult to renew their contracts, abruptly ending Shanghai Port's exclusive enjoyment of super foreign players. Having enjoyed the good life for 8 years, it's only natural to be unhappy when hearing that such luxuries will no longer be available in the future.
However, the so-called "shock" for Shanghai Port fans hasn't ended yet, as the exodus of foreign players continues. It is reported that another Brazilian foreign player, Kitadini, will probably leave soon as well. Fortunately, Shanghai Port originally had six major foreign players, and even if three leave, there are still three remaining, maintaining the basic framework. Moreover, the salary space freed up by the departures of Oscar and Balagas can be used to introduce more powerful foreign players.
In fact, Shanghai Port fans have nothing to be sad about! Compared to other teams that struggle to pay their players on time and can't even gather five foreign players, Shanghai Port players are too happy - they don't worry about food and clothing and only need to focus on playing football.