After earning promotion to Spain’s first division, Real Oviedo kicked off its summer signings by securing 35-year-old Salomón Rondón ahead of their first La Liga campaign in 26 years.
As for the Venezuelan forward, Rondón says goodbye to Club Pachuca after underperforming at the FIFA Club World Cup.
In Spain, he’ll reunite with a familiar face from Liga MX, Veljko Paunović, who had already been eyeing him back when he coached Chivas. This will be Rondón’s third stint in Spanish football, having previously played for Las Palmas and Málaga nearly 15 years ago.
About the Transfer
The club from Hidalgo is a part of the Grupo Pachuca franchise, and Rondón’s transfer is set to start a series of moves that could benefit all three clubs under the group’s umbrella, ensuring no team is left without a striker:
- Federico Viñas returns from Real Oviedo to Club León
- Jhonder Cádiz moves from León to Club Pachuca
- Salomón Rondón transfers from Pachuca to Real Oviedo
Grupo Pachuca, like Grupo Caliente, owns multiple football clubs, including those involved in this transaction. For this reason, Club León was left out of the Club World Cup. Although both Pachuca and León had qualified for the tournament, because of FIFA's Article 10 Multi-club ownership: "No one may simultaneously be involved, either directly or indirectly, in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in the Competition" of the Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, León ended up being excluded.
Emotional Goodbye from Pachuca
Salomón Rondón bid farewell to the Tuzos fans with a message on social media:
"In this year and a half, I celebrated goals, titles, personal milestones and, above all, collective achievements. They were joyful days in which I even had the honor of becoming your captain. That means a lot."Salomón Rondón
After a year and a half with the club, he became a key player—captain and scorer of 36 goals and 8 assists in 70 matches with the team from Hidalgo.
"It's never easy to say goodbye. And that’s why I won’t. No, I’m not closing this door, my friends. It will always remain open. Because that’s how you welcomed me—with open arms. You made me feel like one of your own, you embraced me in your beautiful country and city."Salomón Rondón
The move marks an emotional exit for the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup winner, who even hinted at a possible return in the future.