26.03.2009 12:47
www.fcbarcelona.cat
Pepe Rodríguez was a great goal scorer from Barça’s early history. At that time, the players were amateurs, the team was a group of friends and they lived football and other sports with passion.
Pepe Rodríguez, whose shirt can now be viewed in the Museum, was born in Vigo in 1889. He played
in local teams in his home town and moved to Barcelona in 1910. He made his debut for Barça on 1st
May 1910 and continued playing for the team until 16th November 1912. They were two and half very
intensive years: 62 matches and 59 goals
Afterwards, he moved to Argentina and in 1922 he settled definitively in Chile. He always
treasured his time with Barça and kept many souvenirs which now, nearly one hundred years later,
are on display in this exhibition.
A great footballer
In the two and a half years Rodríguez played for Barça he became an outstanding
forward and was also team captain on a number of occasions. Indeed, in his first game with Barça he
won the prestigious Copa Pirineus, the first international trophy won by the Club. That was the
victorious team that won the Championship of Catalonia in 1910 and 1911, the Championship of Spain
in 1910 and 1912 and the Copa Pirineus from 1910 to 1913.
Football in a pure state
When Pepe Rodríguez played for Barça, football was just starting to get known. In July 1909,
after winning the Valencia Exhibition Championship, the first large-scale public reception of the
victorious team by the fans took place. In 1909 the Club also inaugurated the ground in Indústria
Street, with its much admired grandstand. The players had a great personal relationship as can be
seen by the postcards they sent each other.