He made his professional debut at 21 under legendary Osvaldo Ardiles, and went on to appear in 64 Primera División matches, notably scoring the 4–3 winner against Boca Juniors.

For the 2006–07 campaign he was loaned to Inter Milan, where he failed to break into the starting lineup, barred by the likes of Luís Figo and Dejan Stanković.

Later, Inter opted not to renew the loan deal, and Palermo subsequently accepted a similar request by FC Porto on 17 July 2007.

[2] After Ricardo Quaresma's sale to precisely Inter, González was acquired on a permanent basis by the Portuguese, for €3.25 million, rejoining former Palermo teammate (and countryman) Ernesto Farías, and began to feature more prominently, notabling scoring in the last minute to level it 2–2 at Manchester United, for the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals,[3] while also being an important part of the northerners' back-to-back Primeira Liga conquests (he also won the competition while on loan).

[7] González was - alongside his long-term friend Osvaldo Barsottini as his assistant - in charge for 12 games (five draws and seven losses), before he was replaced in June 2022.