Born in León, de la Cruz started his senior career with Real Valladolid in the Segunda División.

Even though he suffered relegation at the end of the 1969–70 season, he moved straight into La Liga with Granada, making his debut in the competition on 13 September 1970 in a 1–1 away draw against Elche.

[1] In early March 1972, de la Cruz signed with fellow top-division club Barcelona for six million pesetas, pending a medical that almost went wrong and with the deal being made effective in July.

[5] In January 2003, following the dismissal of Louis van Gaal and prior to the appointment of Radomir Antić, de la Cruz was named interim manager at Barcelona.

[2] Selected by coach László Kubala for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, de la Cruz took part in the 2–1 group stage defeat against Austria,[8] as the tournament in Argentina ended after three games.