>
Salomon Rondon pays tribute to his late father following his recent death after scoring for Venezuela against the UAE… as the Everton striker reveals that his father is his ‘eternal idol’ and the reason he moved to play in Europe
- Everton’s Salomon Rondon scored for Venezuela against the UAE on Tuesday
- He paid tribute to his father, who died last week after finding the net
- Venezuelan striker Rondon calls his father Jose Rafael his ‘eternal idol’
- He also revealed that his father gave him his blessing to move to Europe
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
Everton striker Salomon Rondon scored in Venezuela’s win over the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, dedicating the goal to his father, who passed away last week.
The 33-year-old scored Venezuela’s second goal in their 4-0 win and was emotional as he pointed to the sky before being hugged by teammates.
His father Jose Rafael, affectionately known as Bigoton or ‘Big Mustache’, died last Tuesday as Rondon with the Venezuelan squad prepared for their international match with Iceland on Thursday. Despite his upset, Rondon decided to stay with the team rather than return home, thinking this was what his father would have wanted.
Salomon Rondon paid tribute to his father after he passed away last week
Salomon Rondon made the tribute after scoring for Venezuela against the UAE on Tuesday
Rondon posted a touching tribute to his father on social media: ‘Bigotón, it is thanks to you that I played in Europe. I remember not wanting to leave the house because I went alone and was scared when I was 17, but you said to me, “Go ahead and we’ll come to you later.” My mother said to you, “Rafa, if he doesn’t want to go, he doesn’t have to.” And you replied, “Maita, Salomón is going and that’s that.”
“I remember a deafening silence in the car on the way to the airport, but you broke it when you started crying because I was leaving. You were the chemistry teacher who ran an experiment on me. You have not misunderstood.
“You will always be my eternal idol, Dad. I could write a thousand other things, but I’ll keep those to myself.’
Rondon hopes to make Frank Lampard’s roster for Saturday’s game in Southampton
Rondon, who has scored five of Venezuela’s last ten goals, returns to the training ground at Everton’s Finch Farm on Wednesday and hopes to be part of Frank Lampard’s roster on Saturday to beat Southampton.
Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin continues his recovery from injury after sustaining a groin injury last week.
Meanwhile, Everton has confirmed the sale of midfielder Allan to Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates for an undisclosed fee.
Allan has left Everton after just over two years at the club to join Al Wahda in the UAE