Tomás Eduardo Rincón Hernández (; born 13 January 1988) is a Venezuelan professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...

side Santos and

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

the Venezuela national team.

Club career

Early career

Born in San Cristóbal,

Táchira Táchira State (, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal, Táchira, San Cristóbal. Táchira State covers a total surface area of and as of the 2011 census, had a population of 1,168,9 ...

, Rincón started his career with the youth sides of EF Monsenor Arias Blanco. In 2004, aged 16, he moved to UA Maracaibo, and made his senior debut during the 2006–07 season, playing with the B-team in the

Venezuelan Segunda División Segunda División, officially known as Liga FUTVE 2, is the men's second professional football division of the Venezuelan football league system. The Venezuelan second division was established in 1979. List of champions Titles by Team Refer ...

and scoring two goals. Rincón joined

Venezuelan Primera División The Primera División (; ), or Liga Venezolana (; ) is the top-flight professional football league of Venezuela. It was created in 1921 and turned professional in 1957. It is organized by the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol. Format Starting i ...

side Zamora in January 2007, and made his top tier debut on 25 March 2007, starting in a 2–0 away loss to

Carabobo Carabobo State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about two hours by car from Caracas. The state capital city is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is and ...

. He became a regular starter in the 2007–08 season, and scored his first goal for the club on 30 September 2007, in a 4–0 home routing of former side Maracaibo; with Zamora, he also took part in the club's first-ever continental appearance, playing in both matches of the

2007 Copa Sudamericana The 2007 edition of the Copa Sudamericana was played by 34 teams; 30 teams from the CONMEBOL and 4 teams from the CONCACAF. CONMEBOL organized the tournament and invited three North American clubs which were the best three of the CONCACAF Champio ...

as they were knocked out by Ecuadorian side Olmedo. Rincón left Zamora in July 2008 after scoring once in 33 league matches, and moved to

Deportivo Táchira ''Deportivo'' (Spanish, 'sporting') may refer to: * Deportivo de La Coruña, commonly known as simply Deportivo, a Spanish football club * Déportivo, a French rock band * Deportivo (Mexicable) Mexicable is an aerial lift line in Ecatepec de ...

on a contract until 2010.

Hamburger SV

The 22-year-old midfielder played on loan at German

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

side

Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), or HSV (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its Association football, football department. Though the current HSV was founde ...

. On 30 January 2009, he signed a contract until 31 December 2009. Rincón played his first match for Hamburg on 4 March 2009 against Wehen Wiesbaden in the

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...

. He debuted in the

on 4 April 2009 as a substitute in the 87th minute in a 1–0 win against 1899 Hoffenheim. On 10 December 2009, Hamburger SV purchased him from his former club Deportivo Táchira. Rincón signed a contract until 30 June 2014.

Genoa

On 31 July 2014 Rincón was signed by Italian club Genoa on a free transfer, and on 24 August, he played his first official match with the ''Gialloblu'' in an away game, valid for the third qualifying round of the

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

, won 1–0 against Lanciano. He made his debut in

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

on 31 August against Napoli. With Genoa he finished in 6th place, qualifying for the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

, but was denied because Genoa failed to obtain a UEFA license. The next season Rincón made his debut in the league in the second round, in a home game won 2–0 against

Hellas Verona Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Hellas Verona (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Verona, Veneto, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won ...

. On 22 November 2015 he scored his first goal for Genoa in the game won against

Sassuolo Sassuolo (; ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known for being the centre of the Ita ...

. Overall, he made 83 appearances and scored 3 goals with Genoa.

Juventus

In the middle of the 2016–17 season, Rincón was linked with a move to defending

champions

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

during the January transfer window; he ultimately signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

-based club on 3 January 2017 for a reported fee of

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

8 million, becoming the first Venezuelan ever to represent the Bianconeri, and was given the number 28 shirt. He made his debut for the Turin side on 8 January, coming on as a substitute for

Sami Khedira Sami Khedira (; ; born 4 April 1987) is a German former professional Association football, footballer who played as a central midfielder. He began his career at VfB Stuttgart, winning the Bundesliga in 2007, before moving to Real Madrid CF, Re ...

in a 3–0 home win over

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, in Serie A. On 14 March, he made his

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

debut with the club, coming on as a substitute for

Paulo Dybala Paulo Exequiel Dybala (born 15 November 1993) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as an Attacking Midfielder, attacking midfielder or Forward (association football), winger for club AS Roma, Roma and the Ar ...

, in a 1–0 home win over

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, in the second leg of the round of 16.

Torino

On 11 August 2017, Rincón was loaned to

Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

for the 2017–18 season for €3 million, with a €6 million conditional obligation to buy. After the player had reached the condition on appearance for Torino, the club bought him outright on 6 January 2018. The deal was officially confirmed by Juventus on 5 February.

Sampdoria

On 8 January 2022, Rincón joined

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...

on loan. On 5 July 2022, he returned to Sampdoria on a permanent basis with a one-year contract.

Santos

On 15 August 2023,

side Santos confirmed the signing of Rincón, pending on medical examinations. He made his debut for the club five days later, replacing Joaquim Henrique in a 2–1 home win over Grêmio. Rincón scored his first goal for ''Peixe'' on 1 October 2023, netting his team's second in a 4–1 home routing of

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea. Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...

. Seven days later, he scored the equalizer in a 2–1 away success over rivals

Palmeiras The Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional association football, football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes (district of São Paulo), Perdizes. Palmeiras is ...

International career

Rincón represented

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

at under-17 level in the 2005 South American U-17 Championship, and at under-20 level in the

2007 South American U-20 Championship The 2007 South American Youth Championship (Sudamericano Sub-20) was the 23rd edition of the competition. It was played in Paraguay between 7 and 28 January 2007, and was contested by all ten U-20 national football teams of CONMEBOL. This was the ...

. He played his first senior international game for the full side on 3 February 2008, starting in a 1–0 friendly win over

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

at the Estadio Monumental de Maturín. On 22 July 2011, Rincón was voted

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

' Best Player at the

2011 Copa América The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international association football, football tournament for national ...

, held in Argentina, receiving 65% of the total votes against ten candidates. Venezuela finished the tournament in fourth place. He later also took part at the

2015 Copa América The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, ...

, and the

Copa América Centenario The Copa América Centenario (, , ; literally ''Centennial America Cup'') was an international men's soccer tournament that was hosted by the United States in 2016. The competition was a celebration of the centennial of CONMEBOL and the Copa Am� ...

in 2016 with Venezuela, serving as his team's captain in the latter tournament. Rincón scored his first international goal on 16 November 2018, netting the equalising goal from the penalty spot in a 1–1 friendly away draw against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He was also a member of the Venezuelan team that took part at the

2019 Copa América The 2019 Copa América was the 46th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil and took place between 14 June and 7 Ju ...

in Brazil, and made his 100th international appearance for Venezuela against

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

on 14 October 2019.

Style of play

Nicknamed ''el general'' (The General, in Spanish), Rincón is quick, physical, versatile, and hard-working player, who is capable of playing in several

midfield In many sports, midfield is the part of a sports field that is near the line that is equally far from the end lines. That is, in American football it is the part of the field near the 50-yard line; in association football (soccer) and field hoc ...

and

defensive Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

positions. Although he is usually deployed in the

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

, as a

in front of the back-line, he is also capable of playing as a full-back, wing-back, or

wide midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

along the right flank. He has even been deployed in a

box-to-box In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

role, or as an offensive-minded central midfielder on occasion, known as the ''

mezzala In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

'' role in Italy. A strong, tenacious, and well-rounded footballer, with solid technique, a powerful shot, and an ability to provide assists for his teammates, he is mainly known for his anticipation, tactical intelligence, energy, and ball-winning abilities, as well as his strong personality, tenacity, dedication, professionalism, strength of character, and leadership.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Venezuela's goal tally first.''

Honours

Juventus *

: 2016–17 *

: 2016–17 Santos *

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B The Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (commonly referred to as the Brasileirão Série B, the Série B or the Brazilian Série B to distinguish it from the Italian and the Ecuadorian Serie B), and currently officially called Brasileirão Série B ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Venezuela *

Kirin Cup The is an association football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan national football team, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (Internatio ...

: 2019 *

Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...

4th place (copper medal):

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Individual *

' Best Player of the

References

External links

* * * *
Tomás Rincón
at kicker.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Rincon, Tomas 1988 births Living people Footballers from San Cristóbal, Táchira Men's association football midfielders Venezuelan men's footballers Venezuela men's international footballers Unión Atlético Maracaibo players Zamora F.C. players Deportivo Táchira F.C. players Hamburger SV players Genoa CFC players Juventus FC players Torino FC players UC Sampdoria players Santos FC players Venezuelan Primera División players Venezuelan Segunda División players Bundesliga players Serie A players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Campeonato Brasileiro Série B players Venezuelan expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Italy 2011 Copa América players 2015 Copa América players Copa América Centenario players 2019 Copa América players 2024 Copa América players FIFA Men's Century Club Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Germany Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Italy Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in football Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Venezuela Competitors at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games