On 24 July 1999, Elá made his competitive debut with Espanyol's first team, appearing in a UEFA Intertoto Cup game against Montpellier HSC in France, as a 70th-minute substitute (1–2 loss).

[citation needed] During his spell he never appeared officially with the Premier League side, being limited to reserve team football; additionally, in the 2001–02 season, he suffered a serious knee injury.

[4] In 2002, Elá was loaned to Hércules CF in the Spanish third level, under former Sporting de Gijón and CD Tenerife player Felipe Miñambres.

In March 2003, in a friendly match with Elche CF, he suffered another severe injury to his knee, after a hard tackle by Raúl Pérez;[5] upon his return to the Saints, he continued to appear exclusively for the second team.

[7] From 2005 until his retirement in 2010 at the age of only 28, Elá played exclusively in amateur football, the sole exception being eight third level games for UDA Gramenet in the 2006–07 campaign.