| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Óscar Álvarez González | ||
| Date of birth | (1902-05-01)1 May 1902 | ||
| Place of birth | Oviedo,Asturias, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 11 June 1972(1972-06-11) (aged 70) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1924–1926 | Stadium Ovetense [es] | ||
| 1927–1936 | Real Oviedo | ||
| International career | |||
| 1922–1923 | Asturias | 7 | (0) |
| 1924 | Spain | 0 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1940–1941 | Racing de Ferrol | ||
| 1941–1942 | Real Oviedo | ||
| 1943–1944 | Real Avilés CF | ||
| 1951–1953 | Caudal Deportivo | ||
| 1954–1955 | Real Avilés CF | ||
| 1955–1956 | Real Oviedo | ||
| 1957–1958 | CP La Felguera | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Óscar Álvarez González (1 May 1902 – 11 June 1972) was a Spanishfootballer who played as agoalkeeper forReal Oviedo.[1] He later worked as amanager.[2] He was also a member of theSpanish football squad that competed in the1924 Summer Olympics, but he did not play in any matches.[3]
Born inOviedo, Óscar started his football career in his hometown clubStadium Ovetense [es], where he began playing as a goalkeeper by chance, replacing a teammate who had been injured during a match, and he soon demonstrates great qualities that made him stand out between the posts. In 1926, he was one of the main promoters of the merger between Stadium and the neighboring clubDeportivo Oviedo [es], which resulted in the birth of Real Oviedo.[4]
Óscar was named the club's first-evercaptain and he defended the Real Oviedo shirt from the first day of its existence until theSpanish Civil War interrupted football competitions in 1936.[4] During this period, he recovered in 1930 from a brokencollarbone that threatened the end of his football career. In total, he played 198 official matches; 103 in theLeague, 3 in promotion matches, 30 in theCopa del Rey, and 62 in the Regional Championship.[4]
At the end of the war he was imprisoned and later released for having clearly positioned himself in favor of therepublic.
Being aReal Oviedo player, Óscar was eligible to play for theAsturias team, being one of the eleven footballers that played in the team's first-ever game on 4 June 1922, in afriendly againstSt Mirren F.C., which ended in a 3–7 loss.[5] The regional Asturian team then played seven official games between 1922 and 1926 in thePrince of Asturias Cup, winning the1922–23 edition,[6] largely thanks to Óscar's heroic performances in the semifinals, keeping a clean-sheet in a 1–1 win overCatalonia, which was mostly made-up of players of the so-called golden generation ofFC Barcelona, such asRicardo Zamora,Vicente Martínez, andJosep Samitier.[7] In thefinal on 25 February 1923, he started in a 3–1 victory overGalicia atCoia.[8]
Óscar was a member of theSpanish football squad that competed in the1924 Summer Olympics, but he did not play in any matches.[3] In total, he was called up for the national team 11 times, 9 being a Stadium player and 2 as an Oviedo player, but he was unable to make his debut because of the great competition that there was for the goalkeeping position, where mainlyRicardo Zamora blocked his way.[4]
Óscar began his managerial career at the helm ofRacing de Ferrol, which he coached in 1940–41. In July 1941, he took charge ofReal Oviedo,[2][9] replacingCristóbal Martí to become the club's 10th coach, a position that he held for only a year until 1942, when he was replaced byManuel Meana.[9] After another one-season stint atReal Avilés CF (1943–44), he gave up from coaching, but eventually returned following a 7-year hiatus to take charge of another Asturian team in theSegunda Division,Caudal Deportivo, and this time he lasted two seasons.[2] He then returned to Real Avilés in 1954, and then to Real Oviedo in July 1955, but left in October after only three months at the helm of the club.[2][9] His last season as coach was in 1957–58 withCP La Felguera.[2]
