Cádiz Born in
Jerez de la Frontera,
Province of Cádiz, Kiko's career began with local
Cádiz CF, and he first appeared in
La Liga on 14 April 1991 in a 2–3 home loss against
Athletic Bilbao. Even though he played only five further matches in
the season he was intimately connected with the
Andalusia club's fate as, on 9 June, in only 25 minutes on the pitch, he was awarded a
penalty kick and scored an 83rd-minute winner in the 2–1 home win over
Real Zaragoza; the team would miraculously retain their status in the playoffs against
CD Málaga.
Atlético Madrid After two more seasons as an undisputed starter, Kiko moved alongside his teammate
José María Quevedo to
Atlético Madrid, upon Cádiz's
1993 relegation. There, he developed into one of Spain's most important footballers during the 90s, being instrumental in the side's historic
double in
1995–96 with 11 goals and several
assists. Atlético
were relegated in 2000, but Kiko stayed at the
Vicente Calderón Stadium for a
further campaign, not managing to find the net in 32 appearances. He finished out his career with a five-month spell at
CF Extremadura also in the
Segunda División in 2002, teaming up with another longtime league player,
Pier. ==International career==