Official! Tomás “El General” Rincón announces his retirement as an active professional player

Published at: 16/09/2026 03:31 PM

The Venezuelan Tomás Rincón, better known as “El General”, announced his retirement from football, after a career of 20 years and 9 clubs.

“Dear soccer, thank you for giving that boy from San Cristóbal the moment to close a phase that was my life for so many years and it's not easy to put into words what it means for me to say goodbye to football as a player. Since I was a child, I dreamed of going far, but I never imagined how much this path would allow me to experience,” said the Venezuelan through a video posted on his social networks.

He also thanked for every defeat, for every doubt, injury and resignation, “today I understand that all this was necessary to become the person that I am. I never did this journey alone, my family was with me before the full stadiums and the big games, to them and to every coach, teammates, friends and people who trusted me, to the fans who accompanied me, thank you.”

“Football took me far from home, made me grow, put me to the test and gave me moments that I will carry with me forever, it allowed me to wear t-shirts that one day I saw from afar and above all to have the privilege of representing my beloved Venezuela,” he said.

After taking his first steps in the Venezuelan Football League (FUTVE League) with Unión Atlético Maracaibo, Zamora FC and Deportivo Táchira, he made the leap to Europe with Hamburg SV in the German Bundesliga, then went to Serie A in Italy with Genoa, Torino, Sampdoria and Juventus, to close his professional career with the Santos FC from Brazil.

Internationally, he played in the UEFA Europa League, in the UEFA Champions League with Juventus and participated in the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana. Italian Serie A champion - Juventus (2016-17), Italian Cup champion - Juventus (2016-17) and Brazilian Second Division champion - Santos (2023-24).

Rincón played a total of 576 games, 13 goals, 21 assists, defending the tricolor he participated in 143, scored one goal and gave 11 assists.

Mazo News Team