When Oscar signed for Chelsea from Internacional in 2012, the Brazilian was thought to be "one for the future" as the Blues looked to build upon their thrilling Champions League triumph at the end of the previous campaign.
Several of their European heroes had departed - most notably Didier Drogba - and the Stamford Bridge outfit were eager to capitalise on their success over Bayern Munich by bringing in a crop of younger players who could brighten the club's future.
Eden Hazard had already arrived in a £32m deal from Lille, so when the transfer of Oscar was confirmed in late July, he was immediately linked with a loan move elsewhere.
However, after impressing for Brazil during the 2012 Olympics in London, the then 20-year-old was handed the number 11 shirt that had been vacated by Drogba - big boots to fill, surely?
But then manager Roberto Di Matteo soon signaled his intent to use the emerging midfielder by giving him his Premier League debut as a substitute midway through Chelsea's opening day of the season encounter at Wigan Athletic.
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Oscar continued to be eased into life as a Chelsea player in the following matches, but his breakout performance came during the club's opening Champions League fixture against Juventus.
The man from Sao Paulo had been handed his first start by Di Matteo, but it didn't take long for Oscar to make an impact as he handed Chelsea the early lead.
But the moment that earned his place on the following morning's back pages came minutes later, when he turned sharply on the edge of the penalty area before curling an unstoppable effort past Gianluigi Buffon into the top corner of the net.
Chelsea were hauled back by the Italian giants, but Oscar had announced himself to English supporters, and he soon came to be regarded as one of the top talents in the Premier League.
The sacking of Di Matteo threatened to halt Oscar's progress as he began to become a bit-part player under interim boss Rafael Benitez, and a rift was rumoured after he was left out of the Club World Cup final.
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But speculation of tension between the duo was denied and after the Brazilian registered his first Premier League goal late in 2012, he went on to become an integral member of the squad for the remainder of the campaign.
He was especially a pivotal figure during Chelsea's Europa League adventure, as the club were forced to negotiate a hectic fixture schedule to make the final in Amsterdam.
Their showdown against Benfica failed to deliver in terms of quality, but Oscar played the full 90 minutes and helped the Blues pick up their only trophy of the season.
For someone barely out of their teenager years, it was a remarkable feat for Oscar to make as many as 64 appearances for one of the elite clubs in Europe and come out with his reputation enhanced.
It is unclear what role Oscar will play under new manager Jose Mourinho, but one thing is for sure: if the former Internacional man was to ever leave Stamford Bridge, there would not be a club in world football who would not be keen to have the playmaker in their ranks.
Darren Plant
