César Rodríguez (footballer, born 1920) facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | César Rodríguez Álvarez | ||
| Date of birth | 6 July 1920 | ||
| Place of birth | León, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 1 March 1995 (aged 74) | ||
| Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| SEU León | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1939–1955 | Barcelona | 287 | (190) |
| 1940–1942 | → Granada (loan) | 24 | (23) |
| 1955 | → España Industrial (loan) | 9 | (8) |
| 1955–1956 | Cultural Leonesa | 15 | (3) |
| 1956–1957 | Perpignan | 13 | (4) |
| 1957–1960 | Elche | 80 | (42) |
| Total | 428 | (312) | |
| National team | |||
| 1943–1954 | Catalan XI | 10 | (5) |
| 1945–1952 | Spain | 12 | (6) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1959–1960 | Elche | ||
| 1960–1963 | Zaragoza | ||
| 1963–1964 | Barcelona | ||
| 1965–1966 | Mallorca | ||
| 1966–1967 | Celta | ||
| 1967 | Betis | ||
| 1968–1969 | Zaragoza | ||
| 1969–1970 | Hércules | ||
| 1971 | Hércules (caretaker) | ||
| 1975–1976 | San Andrés | ||
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César Rodríguez Álvarez (born July 6, 1920 – died March 1, 1995) was a famous Spanish football player and coach. People often called him just César. He was a forward, which means he played at the front of the team to score goals.
César played football for over 20 years. He is best known for playing with Barcelona. He played 351 official games for them. He scored 232 goals, making him Barcelona's top scorer for many decades. Later, Lionel Messi scored more goals than him.
With Barcelona, César won five La Liga championships. He won 13 major trophies in total. He was very good at scoring goals, even directly from corners. César also played for the Spanish national team. He was part of the team for the 1950 World Cup. After he stopped playing, he became a manager for several teams, including Barcelona.
Contents
César's Football Journey
Playing for FC Barcelona
César Rodríguez was born in León, Spain. He joined FC Barcelona in 1939. But first, he had to do military service. This meant he moved to Granada and played for Granada CF for two seasons.
While on loan, he helped Granada get promoted to La Liga for the first time. He scored 23 goals in just 24 games in his second season there. This helped Granada stay in the top league. He even scored six goals in one game against CD Castellón.
César returned to Barcelona in 1942. He helped them win their first national championship in the 1944–45 season. He scored 15 goals in 24 matches that year. For 11 of his 13 seasons at Barcelona, he scored more than 10 goals. In three of those seasons, he scored over 20 goals.
In 1949, he won the Pichichi Trophy for scoring the most goals (28) in the league. Two years later, he scored twice in the Copa del Generalísimo final. Barcelona won 3–0 against Real Sociedad.
César was part of a famous Barcelona team in the 1991-52 season. This team, with players like László Kubala, won five trophies. César scored in the domestic cup final again. Barcelona won 4–2 against Valencia CF. He also scored the only goal in the Latin Cup final. They beat OGC Nice from France.
Later Years and Coaching
After leaving Barcelona at age 35, César played for other teams. He played for Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa and Perpignan FC in France. Then he returned to Spain to play for Elche CF. He helped Elche move from the third division to the top league in just two years. He was a player-coach for Elche in his last season.
César stopped playing football in 1960 when he was 40 years old. He had scored 226 goals in 353 games in Spain's top division. Only a few players have scored more goals than him in La Liga history.
After retiring as a player, César became a football manager. He coached for nine seasons in the top league. He mostly managed Real Zaragoza. He led Zaragoza to high finishes in the league. In 1963, his team reached the domestic cup final. They lost to his old team, Barcelona.
In 1963, César became the manager of Barcelona. But he was only in charge for a short time. He also managed RCD Mallorca and Real Betis. His last job as a professional manager was with Zaragoza in 1968–69. He passed away in Barcelona at 74 years old. His goal-scoring record for Barcelona lasted for 57 years. Lionel Messi broke it in 2012.
Playing for Spain
César played 12 games for the Spanish national team. He scored six goals for his country. He scored in his first game against Portugal in 1945. He was chosen for the 1950 FIFA World Cup but did not play in any games.
César also played for the Catalan XI team for over ten years. In 1947, he scored two goals against the Spanish national team. Catalonia won that game 3–1.
Fun Facts About César
César had an older brother named Ricardo, who was also a football player. Ricardo was a defender. He played for Barcelona for five years.
César holds a special record. He scored the very first goal in the top division for both Granada and Cultural Leonesa.
Trophies and Awards
Player
Barcelona
- La Liga: 1944–45, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1952–53
- Copa del Generalísimo: 1951, 1952, 1953
- Copa Eva Duarte: 1948, 1952, 1953
- Latin Cup: 1949, 1952
Granada
- Segunda División: 1940–41
Elche
- Segunda División: 1958–59
- Tercera División: 1957–58
Manager
Zaragoza
- Copa del Generalísimo: Runner-up 1962–63
Hércules
- Tercera División: 1969–70
Individual
- Pichichi Trophy: 1948–49
