César Ferrando

1. Overview

César Ferrando Jiménez, born on July 25, 1959, in Tavernes de la Valldigna, Valencian Community, Spain, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, and is currently a manager. His career spans multiple decades, transitioning from a player for various Spanish clubs, including Valencia CF, to a manager leading teams in Spain, Malaysia, and India. He is known for achieving promotion with Albacete Balompié to La Liga and for his extensive experience across different divisions of Spanish football.

2. Playing Career

César Ferrando Jiménez began his football journey in his hometown of Tavernes de la Valldigna, Valencian Community. He started his professional career with the local football giant, Valencia CF, initially spending nearly four years with their reserve team, Valencia B. Ferrando made his first-team and La Liga debut on April 26, 1981, entering the field in the final minutes of a 3-1 home victory against UD Las Palmas. During his time with Valencia, the club also achieved a significant success by winning the UEFA Super Cup in 1980.

After three full seasons with the Che, Ferrando departed Valencia in 1984. He continued his professional playing career with several other clubs, including UD Salamanca, CE Sabadell FC, and UD Alzira. While he competed almost exclusively in the Segunda División, he did make seven appearances in the top-division 1986-87 campaign with CE Sabadell. Throughout his playing career, Ferrando accumulated a total of 216 appearances and scored 34 goals across various clubs. He concluded his playing career in 1991 at the age of 32, retiring at Ontinyent CF, a lower-tier club in his native region.

3. Coaching Career

Ferrando's coaching career began at the amateur level with his local club, UD Tavernes. In 1997, he transitioned to Segunda División B, where he spent three years managing CF Gandía. His tenure at Gandía included a notable achievement of winning the Segunda División B title in the 1999-2000 season. Following this, from 2000 to 2002, he took charge of Valencia B and successfully guided the team back to the Segunda División B.

In the summer of 2002, Ferrando was appointed manager of second-tier club Albacete Balompié. In his first year, during the 2002-03 season, he achieved a significant feat by leading Albacete to promotion to the top flight, La Liga. The following season, 2003-04, he successfully kept the team in the top division, securing their safety. His impressive performance with Albacete led to his signing by Atlético Madrid in 2004.

At Atlético Madrid, often referred to as the Colchoneros (Mattress Makers), the expectation was for the team to qualify for a cup competition. However, under Ferrando's leadership, Atlético only managed to rank 11th in the league during the 2004-05 season. As a result, he was relieved of his duties in late May 2005. Following his departure from Atlético, Ferrando returned to his former club, Albacete Balompié, for another two campaigns in the second division, from June 2005 to June 2007.

For a significant part of the subsequent years, Ferrando continued to work in the second tier of Spanish football. He managed Gimnàstic de Tarragona from January 2008 to March 2010 and later Elche CF in 2012, from April to June. However, he did not achieve significant results with either of these clubs.

In 2013, Ferrando ventured abroad for the first time in his coaching career, taking on the role of head coach at Malaysian club Johor Darul Takzim F.C.. After one season as manager, he transitioned to the role of director of football at the same club. He returned to Spain and to Albacete Balompié on March 13, 2016, with the team facing a serious threat of relegation from the second division. Despite his return, the team continued to struggle, suffering six losses in 13 matches, which led to his dismissal. On July 21, 2018, Ferrando was appointed head coach of Indian Super League franchise Jamshedpur FC. He later returned to CF La Nucía, where he is currently the manager.

4. Achievements

César Ferrando Jiménez has achieved notable successes throughout his career, both as a player and as a manager.

As a player:

• Valencia CF: UEFA Super Cup: 1980

As a manager:

• CF Gandía: Segunda División B: 1999-2000
• Albacete Balompié: La Liga promotion: 2002-03

5. Personal Life

César Ferrando Jiménez comes from a family with a strong connection to football. His two younger brothers, Francisco Ferrando (born 1962) and Juan Carlos Ferrando (born 1965), also pursued careers as professional footballers, both playing as midfielders. Notably, his brother Francisco also played for Valencia CF, the same club where César began his professional playing career.

6. Managerial Statistics

The following table details César Ferrando Jiménez's managerial record by team and tenure, updated as of January 22, 2023.

7. External links

• [http://www.bdfutbol.com/en/j/j3198.html César Ferrando at BDFutbol (player)]
• [http://www.bdfutbol.com/en/l/l3198.html César Ferrando at BDFutbol (manager)]
• [http://www.ciberche.net/histoche/jugador?player=224 CiberChe biography and stats]