106 Bundesliga matches: former HSV star calls time on his career | OneFootball

A former HSV player is hanging up his boots: Tomás Rincón has officially ended his career after 20 years in professional football.

The now 38-year-old announced his decision on social media on Wednesday. Most recently, the Venezuelan was under contract with Brazilian traditional club Santos FC. After his deal expired in the summer, Rincón did not join another club. Now, it appears to be over for good.

From an HSV perspective, Rincón is remembered above all as a no-nonsense ball-winning midfielder. In 2009, the defensive specialist moved to Hamburg for less than one million euros and quickly became a key figure. In total, he made 106 Bundesliga appearances for the Rothosen. Across all competitions, that number rose to 128 matches. Goals were never his specialty: he never scored during his time on the Elbe, though he did register one assist.

Former HSV pro Rincón found happiness in Italy

Rincón said goodbye in 2014 after five years at the Volkspark. Before that, he had still experienced HSV’s dramatic survival. At the time, the Rothosen avoided their first-ever Bundesliga relegation with two draws in the playoff against SpVgg Greuther Fürth. To this day, HSV still holds the record for Bundesliga survival with the lowest points tally, staying up with just 27 points.

Photo: IMAGO

Rincón then moved to Italy. Via Genoa CFC, his path led him to Juventus, which paid around eight million euros for the midfielder in 2017. However, “El General” spent the longest spell of his European career with city rivals Torino. Later came stints at Sampdoria and Santos FC.

Meanwhile, Rincón made history for his home country. With 143 international caps, he remains the record appearance holder to this day. But a large part of the HSV fanbase is also likely to remember him as a tireless fighter.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.