Introduction
Tomás Eduardo Rincón Hernández (born 13 January 1988) is a Venezuelan footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or right back currently playing for Italian Serie A club Juventus, and the Venezuela national team, which he captains.
Club career
Early career
Rincón began his career at UA Maracaibo. Then he joined Zamora in January 2007, playing 33 games and scoring one goal, up to July 2008. In July 2008, Rincón joined Deportivo Táchira and signed a contract up to 2010.
Hamburger SV
The 22-year-old midfielder played on loan at German Bundesliga side Hamburger SV. 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.
He debuted in the Bundesliga 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 and Juventus
In summer 2014, Rincón joined Serie A side Genoa on a free transfer.
In the middle of the 2016–17 season, he was a linked with a move to defending Serie A champions Juventus during the January transfer window; he ultimately signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Turin-based club on 3 January 2017 for a reported fee of €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 in a 3–0 home win over Bologna, in Serie A. On 14 March, he made his UEFA Champions League debut with the club, coming on as a substitute for Paulo Dybala, in a 1–0 home win over Porto, in the second leg of the round of 16.
International career
Rincón played for the Venezuela national under-20 team at Sudamericana sub-20, held in Paraguay. He played his first senior international game for Venezuela in 2008 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier. On 22 July 2011, he was voted Adidas' Best Player at the 2011 Copa América, held in Argentina, receiving 65% of the total votes against ten candidates. Venezuela finished the tournament in fourth place.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zamora | 2007–08 | Venezuelan Primera División | 33 | 1 | 2 | 2 | – | 0 | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
| Total | 33 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 3 | ||
| Deportivo Táchira | 2008–09 | Venezuelan Primera División | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| Hamburger | 2008–09 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Bundesliga | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| Total | 106 | 0 | 10 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | 129 | 0 | |||
| Genoa | 2014–15 | Serie A | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | Serie A | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 78 | 3 | 4 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 82 | 3 | |||
| Juventus | 2016–17 | Serie A | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 247 | 4 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 282 | 6 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venezuela | |||
| 2008 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 82 | 0 | |
Honours
Club
- Venezuelan Primera División: 2007–08
- Coppa Italia: 2016–17
Individual
- Adidas' Best Player for the 2011 Copa América