He appeared in five games with the first team during the 2002–03 season, the first on 2 September 2002 in a 2–0 away loss against Real Madrid where he played five minutes as a starter,[2] as the club went on to barely avoid La Liga relegation.

Subsequently, Crusat had Segunda División stints with Rayo Vallecano and UE Lleida: in the first, as the Madrid side were relegated, he only managed to take the field on five occasions, leaving in December 2003.

Without the presence of striker Álvaro Negredo, he was much more depended upon in scoring matters and netted seven times in 33 matches – joint-second in the team – as they finished in 13th position (he also collected 13 yellow cards).

[5] On 19 January 2011, Crusat scored one of Almería's most important goals, in a 3–2 win at Deportivo de La Coruña (4–2 on aggregate) which meant the club reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for the first time ever.

Four days later, the player completed his move to the English club,[7] and made his Premier League debut on 10 September, appearing as a substitute in a 3–0 away loss to Manchester City.