Born in Idiazabal, Goierri, Gipuzkoa, Santana joined Real Sociedad in 2006, being appointed manager of the youth setup.
[1] On 5 November of the following year, he was appointed at the helm of the main squad, as an interim, replacing fired Jagoba Arrasate.
[4] In June 2016, Santana was hired by third-tier Real Unión but still on the payroll of Sociedad, who were helping out with the Irun-based club's financial problems.
[5] He was dismissed on 27 November 2017 due to a poor run of results, with the severance payment being again the responsibility of the larger club.
[6] Santana returned to the game on 29 January 2020, taking over at UCAM Murcia until the end of the season.