Born in
Sopuerta,
Biscay, Dani played youth football with various clubs in the
Basque Country. He signed for
Athletic Bilbao in 1971 at the age of 20, spending one season with the
reserve side in the
Tercera División. After two years on loan at neighbouring
Barakaldo CF of
Segunda División, Dani returned to his
alma mater, scoring in double digits in nine of the following ten years. His first
La Liga match occurred on 29 September 1974 in a 3–0 away loss against
Valencia CF and, in the
1976–77 season, as the
Lions reached the
final of the
UEFA Cup and the
Copa del Rey, also finishing third in the league, he totalled 29 goals in 46 official games; in the latter competition, over a 12-year stint at the
San Mamés Stadium, he reached the 20-goal mark twice. He was a
penalty kick specialist. ==International career==