After his father was shot in 1936 when he was still a child, he travelled with his mother to Argentina into exile. He showed his vocation for drawing and began to make caricatures for a living, which he then sold in pubs and cafés. Shortly after, he began to play in Banfiel F.C. and then in Vasco de Caracas F.C.. After a first stay in France, he went back to his native city and and became runner-up in the National League with Deportivo F.C. (1950). Then he played in Barcelona, Valencia and Atlético de Madrid F.C.. When he finished his career as a football player, he became a trainer.