Early years Born in
La Algaba,
Province of Seville, Tristán came through the youth ranks of local
Real Betis, going on to finish his sporting development with
the reserves of
Mallorca. After
one season in the
Segunda División, he made his
La Liga debut in
1999–2000, scoring against
Numancia on 12 September 1999. He ended his first top-flight campaign with 18 goals.
Deportivo After nearly moving to league powerhouse
Real Madrid in the summer of 2000, a deal barred by
Lorenzo Sanz's exit from the club's presidency, Tristán joined
Deportivo de La Coruña. He formed a dreaded attacking partnership – on occasions, as
Depor mainly operated in a
4–5–1 formation under
Javier Irureta – with Dutchman
Roy Makaay. but became an undisputed starter the
following season and responded, netting 21 league goals and taking home the
Pichichi Trophy, which included a
hat-trick in a 5–0 win over former club Mallorca. for a total of 32 goals. Tristán injured his ankle on international duty in 2002, losing again the starting berth to Makaay who even won the
European Golden Boot for his performances. The former could not adapt to his secondary role, but still scored 19 overall goals for the
Galicians during
that season. leaving in July 2006 along with teammate
Lionel Scaloni. After being linked with several clubs in Spain and overseas, including
Bolton Wanderers, he agreed to rejoin Mallorca after a six-year hiatus. He left in June 2007, having featured rarely for the
Gregorio Manzano-led side. Tristán signed a one-year contract with
Serie A's
Livorno in July 2007, as the Italians searched for a replacement for
Shakhtar Donetsk-bound
Cristiano Lucarelli. He failed to impress during his stint in
Tuscany, scoring only once during
the campaign and eventually dropping down to the
Serie B. On 29 September 2008, it was confirmed Tristán was undergoing a trial at
West Ham United of the
Premier League. On 14 October he agreed to a deal, making his debut on 8 December as a late substitute in the 0–2 home defeat against
Tottenham Hotspur. He scored his first goal for the club in the 2–1 home victory over
Stoke City later that month, also coming from the bench.
Cádiz On 24 July 2009, Tristán joined second division club
Cádiz after having been released by West Ham at the end of
the season, thus returning to his native
Andalusia after 14 years. He regained some of his scoring form in his
only campaign, but his team was relegated after finishing in 19th position; although he himself grabbed a brace in the last league match, a 4–2 home win against Numancia on 19 June 2010, it eventually proved insufficient. ==International career==