Former HSV pro Rincón ends career – Venezuela's record player

Tomás Rincón, 38, former midfielder of Hamburger SV and record national player of Venezuela, has ended his career after twenty professional years. The announcement was made on Wednesday via social media; his last club was Brazilian FC Santos, which he left in the summer without signing a new contract.

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HSV Record and Farewell

Rincón moved to Europe in 2009 and signed with Hamburger SV, with the club paying less than one million euros for the transfer. In the red‑white colours he played 128 league matches, scored 13 goals and provided 21 assists in all competitions.

His contribution helped the club in 2014 secure survival with only 27 points – still a record for the fewest points achieved in the Bundesliga. The relegation that season was avoided by two draws in the play‑off against Fürth.

Last Stops and National Team

After leaving HSV, Rincón moved to Italy, where he played for Genoa CFC and later Juventus; Juventus triggered a release clause of eight million euros in 2017. However, the bulk of his appearances came with city rival FC Turin, which, including a loan fee, paid almost nine million euros for the midfielder.

In Genoa he played for Sampdoria, who were relegated at the end of the 2022/23 season with only 19 points. Half a year later Rincón returned to Brazil, took the captain's armband at FC Santos and immediately experienced promotion after the drop from the top division.

Despite the return his playing time remained limited; by April 2026 he was only used for a brief appearance on the pitch. Tom, better known as El General, was in Venezuela a symbol for the team.

His last international match came in September 2025 against Argentina, a 0‑3 loss that also marked his 143rd appearance as a Venezuelan international. Since then he has not received another call‑up.