FC Barcelona and Cultural Leonesa meet in the Copa del Rey this week, and they share a club legend from the past. Striker César Rodríguez signed for the Blaugrana aged 19 years old and debuted in 1939, earning a regular place in the first team in 1941/42 after military service and loan spells at Sabadell and Granada.
Only Leo Messi has scored more goals for FC Barcelona than César, who bagged an incredible 295 from 433 games. He was the top scorer in LaLiga in 1948/49 (28 goals in 24 matches), and the club's top marksman for seven consecutive seasons (1944-51).
César helped the Barça to 5 LaLiga titles (44/45, 47/48, 48/49; 51/52 and 52/53) and was a fan favourite during his time in the Catalan capital.
He would go on to coach the team briefly in the 1963/64 campaign, but not before a spell at his hometown club, Cultural Leonesa, in which he scored their first ever goal in the top flight.His final stint with FC Barcelona came as an assistant coach to friend Ladislau Kubala in 1980. Upon his passing in Barcelona in 1995, César Rodriguez was buried at the Les Corts cemetery alongside the Camp Nou. His tombstone bears a photo of him wearing a Barça shirt.
