Born in Candás, Asturias, Julio Alberto came through the ranks of Atlético Madrid, appearing rarely for the Colchoneros in his early years and also serving a Segunda División loan stint with Recreativo de Huelva in 1979–80.

[1] Fully promoted to the first team for the following campaign, he totalled 58 La Liga games over the next two seasons, subsequently attracting interest from FC Barcelona.

With Barça, the offensive-minded Julio Alberto played a further nine years, with opposed fates: he was a key element in the side's 1985 league conquest and, in the following campaign, scored a stunning goal against Juventus FC in the semi-finals of the European Cup, in a 1–0 home win (eventually 2–1 on aggregate).

[5] Julio Alberto earned 34 caps for Spain over four years, and was included in the squad for UEFA Euro 1984 (appearing in all the games for the runners-up) and the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

[8] Eventually he recovered, becoming a lecturer on the subject while he also began assisting former club Barcelona in a community role, working with fans and the foundation.