Born in
Arrankudiaga,
Biscay, Escalza began playing with amateurs
CD Villosa, returning to organized football only two years later with
Barakaldo CF in
Segunda División. In the following summer, aged 21, he joined
Basque giants
Athletic Bilbao, making his
La Liga debut on 27 April 1974 in a 0–1 away loss against
UD Las Palmas, his only appearance of
the season. From there onwards, Escalza became an undisputed starter for the
Lions: in the
1976–77 campaign he played 51 official games as the team finished in third position in the league and
reached the
UEFA Cup final, losing on the
away goals rule to
Juventus FC. Escalza left Athletic in June 1980, having appeared in 207 matches all competitions comprised (one goal in the
Copa del Rey). He subsequently joined fellow top level side
RCD Español, being first-choice over the course of three seasons, and finished his career at the age of nearly 36 after one year with
CE Sabadell FC and three with
Sestao Sport Club (two seasons in
Segunda División B, another two in the second level). ==International career==