Born in Durango, Basque Country, de Paula began his football career with lowly clubs in Badajoz as his family hailed from Olivenza (Extremadura).
[1] At the beginning of 1995–96, de Paula moved back to his native region to play for La Liga side Real Sociedad.
He descended yet another tier to Segunda División B at the end of the 2007–08 campaign after joining SD Ponferradina, scoring a total of 32 league goals in his first two seasons (16 apiece).
[5] However, Ponfe would be immediately relegated and, aged 36, he announced his professional retirement due to a recurrent knee injury, having appeared in 444 league matches both major levels combined and scored 114 goals.
[9][10] On 11 June 2015, de Paula was appointed head coach of Badajoz ahead of the season in Tercera División, declaring the side's intentions to promote.