Born in Logroño, La Rioja, José Ignacio made his professional debut for hometown club CD Logroñés.

Upon its La Liga relegation at the end of the 1994–95 season he signed for Valencia CF, helping with 27 matches to a final runner-up place in his first year.

[5][6] José Ignacio joined RC Celta de Vigo for 2002–03, making 33 league appearances as the Galician side qualified for the UEFA Champions League; in that tournament, he closed the 2–1 away win over AC Milan on 9 December 2003 to qualify his team for the knockout stages alongside the Italians.

[7] Upon retiring in 2006 aged 33, one year after playing only 11 games as Celta returned to the top tier, José Ignacio rejoined his first club Logroñés as a director of football.

The first came in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein on 5 September,[9] and he also appeared in a friendly in Huelva with Mexico two months later.