In 2000–01, Luque scored nine goals for Mallorca, helping the Balearic Islands side qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history after finishing third.

[10] He also netted important goals in the knockout stages against Juventus FC[11] and AC Milan,[12] and added 11 more on the domestic front in his final year in Galicia.

[15] However, in his next game, he suffered a hamstring injury while playing at Fulham;[16] upon his return he was used in a number of roles, including left midfielder, failing to live up to his large price tag.

[21] After having fallen low in the side's attacking pecking order, a number of injuries awarded him a start against Serie A table-toppers U.S. Città di Palermo on 2 November, in the UEFA Cup, and rewarded manager Glenn Roeder's choice scoring the game's only goal with a header.

[22] After that, however, the player had few significant first-team appearances, by now behind the likes of youth graduate Matty Pattison;[23] in the January 2007 transfer window he was linked with a loan move to PSV Eindhoven, but the deal fell through in spite of his wishes.

[31] Luque was fined after a game with Feyenoord in November 2007 for a half-time altercation in the changing rooms with teammate Luis Suárez, which caused manager Adrie Koster to substitute them both before the second half.

[36] On 30 November 2008, he came from the bench to open his scoring account in his second spell, in a 4–2 home victory over CA Osasuna,[37] and was a crucial attacking element as the club fought for UEFA Cup qualification until the final days of the season.

[38] Under new coach Juan Ramón López Muñiz, he played mainly from the bench and scored only once in the first half of the campaign, thereafter being dropped for almost a month;[39][40] after returning to first-team action, he replaced Duda in the 85th minute of a 3–0 win at Racing Santander.

After a successful season at Mallorca, still uncapped for the senior team, he was called up to the squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, making his international debut in a 3–2 group stage win against South Africa on 12 June 2002,[44] and also appeared in the round-of-16 victory over the Republic of Ireland.

[52][53] In November 2006, while driving to Newcastle International Airport for a UEFA Cup game away to Eintracht Frankfurt, Luque pulled his Porsche Cayenne over due to a puncture.