Murcia Born in
Mula,
Region of Murcia, León began playing with local
Muleño CF and Nueva Vanguardia's youth teams, eventually moving in early 2004 to
Real Murcia CF to finish his youth career. After a spell with the
B team, he made his official debut with the main squad on 15 January 2005, in a
Segunda División 5–1 loss away loss against
UE Lleida, going on to play a further six matches during
the season and scoring in a 3–1 win at neighbouring
Ciudad de Murcia. The following two seasons, León became an integral player for Murcia, netting seven goals in the
2006–07 campaign, several from
free kicks, as the side returned to
La Liga after a three-year absence. In January 2007, he was rumoured to be moving to
Real Madrid or
Chelsea, being speculated that the latter would buy him for
£3.4 million.
Levante Despite all transfer rumours, León joined modest
Levante UD in the 2007 summer for £2.5 million after rejecting an offer from to renew his contract for
€1 million, a move the club found quite offensive. He often underachieved in
2007–08, starting only 11 times from 24 appearances as Levante returned to the second tier. He also ended up training alone, due to problems with management and teammates alike.
Valladolid On 13 September 2008,
Real Valladolid bought León for €300,000 after a quick negotiation. Soon becoming first choice, he provided his first
assist for
Fabián Canobbio on 15 November in a 1–0 home victory over Real Madrid, netting his first for the club a week later in a 3–0 away defeat of
Villarreal CF.
Getafe After lengthy negotiations with
Getafe CF, with the player appearing very rarely for Valladolid in pre-season, a five-year contract worth around €4 million was finally arranged in August 2009. León scored nine goals in all competitions during
the season (eight in the league, with nine assists), as the
Madrilenians finished sixth and
qualified for the
UEFA Europa League for the second time in their history.
Real Madrid On 15 July 2010, Real Madrid confirmed the transfer of León for €10 million; the player passed the pertinent medical test and was presented the following day. He made his debut on 4 August in a
friendly with
Club América, playing the full match in a 3–2 win. In his second appearance, four days later, he scored against the
LA Galaxy as the match ended with the same score. León scored his first competitive goal on 3 November 2010, combining with
Karim Benzema – both players had come
from the bench during the second half – for a
last-minute goal at
AC Milan in the
group stage of the
UEFA Champions League, a 2–2 draw that sent the Spaniards through to the knockout stage. During the course of the
league campaign, however, he appeared rarely: after assuming he would start against
AJ Auxerre in the Champions League in late September, he was immediately dropped from the list of 18 by coach
José Mourinho. Later, he was ridiculed in the press by his own manager when the latter justified his absence. In early February 2011, both he and teammate
Fernando Gago were dropped from the squad that would face
Sevilla FC in the
semi-finals of the
Copa del Rey, for fighting in training; Gago was however picked for the next match, whereas León was not. Chelsea renewed their interest in taking León on loan in the winter
transfer window, but no transfer took place – he reportedly blamed Mourinho for blocking the move. In March 2011, after the market had closed,
Hércules CF tried to acquire the player on loan following
Tote's severe knee injury, but Real Madrid refused again.
Getafe return At the end of the 2011 summer transfer window, León returned to former club Getafe on a
season-long loan. He scored the first goal of his second spell on 1 October, with a spectacular long-range strike at
Málaga CF in a 3–2 loss. The move was extended for the
following campaign. Subsequently, León signed for Getafe on a permanent basis. On 6 October 2013, he scored twice in a 3–1 home win over
Real Betis, his first coming through a 40-meter free kick. León was not allowed to be registered for the start of
2014–15, as the club had exceeded the €17 million salary cap. The situation was finally resolved on 24 November, the day of his 28th birthday.
Eibar On 5 July 2016, after Getafe's
relegation, León signed a two-year deal with
SD Eibar also in the top flight. He scored a career-best ten goals in his
first season – only behind
Sergi Enrich's 11 in the squad– but missed the vast majority of
the following after replapsing from a left-knee injury.
Fuenlabrada After
Eibar's relegation, León agreed to a one-year contract with
CF Fuenlabrada of the second division on 1 August 2021. He scored a squad-best ten goals in his
only season (seven from
penalties), but his team went down as second-bottom.
Later career On 12 July 2022, aged 35, León returned to Murcia. He scored 15 goals in the
first season of his second spell, spending his entire tenure in the
Primera Federación. ==International career==