Born in
Burjassot,
Valencian Community, Ballesteros came through the ranks of local
Levante UD. In January 1996 he moved on loan to the
Canary Islands'
CD Tenerife, making his
La Liga debut on 3 January in a 2–0 home win against
Racing de Santander. After making the move permanent he went on to become an important defensive player, also starting to garner a reputation as a tough, sometimes to excess, central defender: in the
1998–99 season, as Tenerife ranked second-bottom, he was
sent off twice in just eight appearances. For the
2000–01 campaign, Ballesteros moved to
Rayo Vallecano in
Madrid, collecting ten
yellow cards in his only season and playing all the games and minutes in the team's
quarter-final run in the
UEFA Cup. He subsequently spent three years at
Villarreal CF, being an important defensive element as the club consolidated in the main division. From 2004 to 2008, Ballesteros represented
RCD Mallorca also in the top flight, receiving eight additional marching orders in 113 first-team appearances. In July 2008 the 33-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements and released, re-joining Levante,
recently relegated to the
Segunda División, after 13 years. Veteran Ballesteros rarely missed a match for the
Granotas the following seasons, playing 34 matches in
2010–11 (one goal, against
CA Osasuna in a 2–1 home win) as the team finally retained their top-flight status. He fared even better
the following campaign – also finding the net once, at Rayo Vallecano in a 2–1 victory– to help the side finish sixth and
qualify for the Europa League for the first time ever. ==Honours==