Salomón Rondón arrives at the Copa América in the United States at a very special moment. At 34 years old, the Venezuelan national team’s goal scorer seems to be enjoying a second youth.
The striker faces this tournament with ‘Vinotinto’ after a brilliant phase in Mexican football with Pachuca, with 10 goals scored in 21 games in LigaMX, an oasis for him after his controversial departure from Argentina’s River Plate.
He also led ‘los Tuzos’ in winning the Concacaf Champions Cup with nine goals in seven games played. He celebrated with two hat-tricks in that campaign, scored two of his goals in the Mexican team’s 3-0 final win against MLS’ Columbus Crew and was named the competition’s best player. Demolisher.
Now, the Venezuelan striker is staying at the Copa América, which starts this Thursday in Atlanta (Georgia) with the match between Argentina and Canada.
“We’re going to do what we’ve been doing in the Qualifiers: compete”, highlighted Rondón about the possibilities of ‘Vinotinto’ in an interview with the international network FoxSports. “We have a lot of very good players.”
Under the command of Argentine coach Fernando ‘Bocha’ Batista, Venezuela occupies fourth place in the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, with nine points in six rounds, behind only world champion Argentina, which has 15; Uruguay, with 13; and Colombia, with 12.
Rondón, who will play in his fifth Copa América, is the top scorer in the history of the Venezuelan national team, with 41 goals in 104 games.
Only three other players have surpassed 100 appearances for this country: Tomás Rincón (132) and the retired Juan Arango (131) and José Manuel Rey (115).
“Paradise”
“I don’t want to be a demagogue, but I found a paradise,” he said Rondon about the experience in the first semester with Pachuca, led by Uruguayan Guillermo Almada. “If you feel loved and supported and if a coach likes you and calls you and says, ‘Come on, I’m going to make you play’, at that age you’re satisfied. “I took advantage of it. [a oportunidade] the maximum”.
For River Plate, Rondón scored 10 goals in 31 games in Argentina and decided to change scenery, citing his family’s adaptation problems.
“I’m very happy and my family is very happy. Anyone who played football knows that if you have a clear mind, things will happen by themselves, and that’s what happened to me in these six months,” he continued.
Batista, in good times and bad, always expressed support for Rondón. “He is a reference”, the Argentine has said several times about the experienced striker, who highlights his experience in Europe in the Spanish and English leagues.
He should be Venezuela’s center fielder in their Copa América debut, on Saturday, against Ecuador, in the opening of a difficult Group B, which also includes Mexico and Jamaica.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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