[1] He amassed La Liga totals of 200 matches and eight goals over 11 seasons, representing in the competition Murcia, Atlético Madrid, Racing de Santander and Getafe.

[4] On 5 October he netted his first goal for the Cantabrians, in a 1–0 last-minute away victory over CA Osasuna;[5] he also scored in December, but in an insufficient 3–1 UEFA Cup group stage defeat of Manchester City.

However, he would manage to appear regularly for Atlético over the course of the campaign – more than 30 official matches – mainly as a right back, competing with internationals Luis Perea and Tomáš Ujfaluši for the position.

He contributed with seven games in the Colchoneros' Europa League victorious run, although only three complete, including the 1–2 away defeat against Liverpool in the semi-finals (2–2 aggregate win);[7] he also featured one minute in the final.

[8] In mid-August 2011, after Valera and Atlético amicably terminated the player's contract, which expired in June of the following year, he signed with fellow top division side Getafe CF.