| César Pérez | |
| Fullname: | César Ignacio Pérez Maldonado |
| Birth Date: | 2002 11, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Cerrillos, Santiago, Chile |
| Height: | 1.76 m |
| Currentclub: | Defensa y Justicia |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Youthyears1: | 2013–2019 |
| Youthclubs1: | Magallanes |
| Years1: | 2019–2022 |
| Caps1: | 42 |
| Goals1: | 4 |
| Years2: | 2022–2024 |
| Clubs2: | Unión La Calera |
| Caps2: | 59 |
| Goals2: | 7 |
| Years3: | 2024– |
| Clubs3: | Defensa y Justicia |
| Caps3: | 2 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2015 |
| Nationalteam1: | Chile U15 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam2: | Chile U17 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 11 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2020 |
| Nationalteam3: | Chile U20 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2022– |
| Nationalteam4: | Chile U23 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 10 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 1 |
| Nationalyears5: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam5: | Chile |
| Nationalcaps5: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals5: | 0 |
| Pcupdate: | 24 July 2024 |
| Ntupdate: | 29 June 2024 |
César Ignacio Pérez Maldonado (born 29 November 2002) is a Chilean footballer who plays as a midfielder for Argentine club Defensa y Justicia.
Pérez came to Magallanes youth system in 2013 and joined the first team in 2019.[1] After spending four seasons in the Primera B de Chile with Magallanes, for the 2022 season he moved to Unión La Calera in the Chilean Primera División.[2]
In July 2024, Pérez moved to Argentina and signed with Defensa y Justicia.[3]
At youth level, Pérez represented Chile at under-15 level in the 2017 South American Championship[4] and Chile U17 at both the 2019 South American Championship, where Chile was the runner-up, and the 2019 FIFA World Cup.[5]
At under-20 level, he represented Chile in the Granja Comary International Tournament, a friendly championship in Teresópolis, Brazil, playing all the matches against Peru U20,[6] Bolivia U20,[7] and Brazil U20.[8]
On 31 August 2022, he represented Chile at under-23 level in a 1–0 win against Peru U23.[9] He was included in the final squad for the 2023 Pan American Games,[10] [11] where Chile won the silver medal.[12] In 2024, he took part in the Pre-Olympic Tournament.[13]
At senior level, he was called up to the training microcycle in March 2021 of Chile by the coach Martín Lasarte along with his teammate Julián Alfaro.[14] He received his first call-up for the friendly matches in June 2023[15] and made his debut in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ecuador on 21 November 2023 by replacing Erick Pulgar at the minute 70.[16]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chile | 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4 | 0 | ||
Chile U23