[1] Having signed for FC Barcelona as a teenager, his professional career began in Catalonia at age 20, on loan with UE Figueres in the Segunda División.
In another January transfer window move, Cembranos joined Madrid's Rayo Vallecano in 1999, being an important member in his first months as they eventually returned to the top flight, scoring six goals during the (half)season.
Both player and club continued to consolidate,[3][4] and Rayo obtained their best-ever classification in 1999–2000, qualifying for the UEFA Cup via fair play.
[5] Cembranos appeared very irregularly in his final three seasons, troubled by constant injuries that had already made him miss a good number of matches at Barcelona and Espanyol, mainly in the right knee.
[8] Courtesy of the best season of his career with Rayo (36 appearances, four goals), Cembranos earned his sole cap for Spain on 26 January 2000, when he came on as a substitute for Juan Carlos Valerón in the 76th minute of a 3–0 friendly win over Poland in Cartagena.