As a 17-year-old he was signed by Valencia CF, making his La Liga debut on 31 August 1997 in a 2–1 away loss against RCD Mallorca (90 minutes played);[2] for the 1998–99 campaign he was loaned to Deportivo Alavés, which had returned to the top flight after a four-decade absence.

[3] After a breakout season with the Basque side, scoring a squad-best seven goals,[4] Gerard returned to Valencia, helping them to reach the final of the UEFA Champions League.

[5] During this time with the Che, he came to be regarded as one of the top players in Spain and, after receiving interest from several top clubs in Europe, including Inter Milan, A.C. Milan and Manchester United, he decided to join his former club Barcelona in July 2000, in a deal worth €24 million;[6] when he netted three times for Valencia against SS Lazio on 5 April 2000, he became the youngest player ever to achieve this feat in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

[8][9][10] After leaving Barça with the 2005 national championship, Gerard moved abroad, spending two unassuming seasons with France's AS Monaco FC,[11] also being severely injured.

[14] In mid-February 2009 he moved back to Catalonia, joining Girona FC until the end of the campaign;[15] shortly after arriving he was injured again, but managed to score four goals in only six Segunda División games.