He amassed La Liga totals of 123 games and 48 goals over the course of 13 seasons, representing in the competition Real Madrid, Sevilla and Betis.
He was mainly a reserve player during his eight-year spell with the first team, which won 13 major titles during that timeframe; his best output came during the 1956–57 season, when he scored a career-best 14 goals in 21 games en route to the La Liga championship; additionally, he netted nine times in 16 appearances combined in the European Cup, winning the tournament on four occasions.
[1][2] Mateos left the Merengues in the 1961 summer, with official totals of 93 matches and 50 goals.
[2] He subsequently represented, in his country, Sevilla FC, Recreativo de Huelva, Real Betis (two spells with both clubs) and Gimnástica de Torrelavega, suffering a serious injury whilst at the service of the first from which he never fully recovered; until his retirement at the age of 37, he also played for the Cleveland Stokers in the North American Soccer League[3] and East London Celtic in South Africa.
His biggest achievement at the professional level consisted of leading Cádiz CF to its first-ever promotion to the top flight in 1977, being sacked early into the following campaign as the Andalusians were eventually relegated back.