Full name:
César Rodríguez Álvarez
Date of birth June 29 1920
Place of birth: León, Spain
Playing position Forward
Seasons at the club: 1942-1955
Games played:
433
Goals: 294
Trophies:
5 Leagues (1944-45,
1947-48, 48/49, 1951-1952 & 1952-1953)
2 Latin Cups (1949 & 1952)
3 Spanish Cups
(1950-1951, 1951-1952 & 1952-1953)
1 Gold Cup (1945)
3 Eva Duarte Cups (1948,
1952 & 1953)
The Pichichi Trophy: (1949)
Clubs:
Frente de Juventudes de León -
FC Barcelona – 1939-1940
Granada – 1940-1941
FC Barcelona – 1941-1954
Cultural Leonesa – 1954-1955
Perpiñán - (France) - 1955-1957
Elche Club de Fútbol – 1957-1960
One of the best players in the history of FC Barcelona, César
was an extraordinary striker with a great head for scoring.
César is the third highest goal scorer in the history of the club; he was the league’s highest scorer in 1948-1949
(28 goals in 24 games), came second three times, and was the highest scorer for the club for seven consecutive seasons (between
1944-1945 and 1950-1951). He was one of the legendary forwards of the five cups (1951-1952) with Basora Kubala, Moreno y Manchón.
Known as ‘el Pelucas’, César fought hard and had an impressive ability
to anticipate plays. He was famous for his ability to score goals from corners. After playing as a youth in León, César first
joined FC Barcelona in 1939. However military service saw him posted to Granada, delaying his senior debut with the club.
He spent two seasons on loan at Granada CF and in 1941 helped them win the Segunda División. The following season, 1941-42,
both César and Granada CF made their debut in the Primera División. During the season he scored 6 goals in a 7-3 win against
CD Castellón and eventually finished as second top goalscorer.
In 1942 César returned to FC Barcelona and won his first La Liga title in 1945. During his playing career at the club his
team mates included, among others, Antoni Ramallets, Velasco, Josep Escolà, Joan Segarra, Estanislao Basora, Josep Gonzalvo
and Marià Gonzalvo. In 1951 he scored twice in the 3-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Copa del Generalísimo final. Then together
with Estanislao Basora, Ladislao Kubala, Eduardo Manchón and Moreno, he was part of a legendary forward line that helped the
club win five trophies during the 1951-1952 season. He scored again in the Copa final, a 4-2 extra time win against Valencia
CF. He also scored the winner in the Copa Latina final, a 1-0 win against OGC Nice.
After
leaving FC Barcelona, César had spells at Cultural Leonesa and Perpignan F.C. before joining Elche CF. As a player, and then
player-coach he helped Elche, rise from the Tercera División to La Liga in three seasons. In 1958 Elche were promoted to Segunda
División, Group 2 and the following season they were promoted to La Liga after they were champions of their group. During
the 1959-60, César he also coached Elche in La Liga.
After his success with Elche CF, César became coach at Real Zaragoza. In 1961 he guided to them to third in La Liga and
in the following two seasons they finished fourth and fifth. In 1963 they also finished as runners-up to FC Barcelona in the
Copa del Generalísimo. This attracted the attention of his former club and in 1964 he succeeded his former team mate Josep
Gonzalvo as manager. However, these were not the best of times for the club and so he left his position the following year.
He was only in charge for 85 games.
In 1974, César was selected on the all-time starting eleven of FC Barcelona
along with Ramallets, Zabalo, Biosca, Segarra, Samitier, Basora, Cruyff, Kubala, and Alcántara for the club’s 75th
anniversary. He passed away in 1995; just four years shy of the club’s 100th anniversary.
