Born in Durango, Biscay, Barinaga moved to England in his teens at the start of the Spanish Civil War, accompanied by two of his three siblings.

Some of the other refugees who made the same journey in 1937 also became footballers, including Emilio Aldecoa, José Gallego and Raimundo Lezama;[1][2][3] whilst playing for his local high school he was discovered by Southampton and went on to spend one season with its reserve team, scoring 62 goals.

[4] Returning to his country at the end of the conflict and as another begun, Barinaga rejected an offer from Basque giants Athletic Bilbao, moving to Real Madrid instead.

From 1943 to 1945, after nearly two years on loan in Segunda División with Real Valladolid, Barinaga scored 38 league goals in 48 games, but the Merengues won no silverware in the period.

Os Belenenses on 14 December 1947,[4][5] and won three major trophies during his nine-year spell at the club, notably two Copa del Generalísimo, with the player scoring in the 1946 final against Valencia CF (3–1);[6] on 13 June 1943, he contributed with four in only 13 minutes as Real trounced FC Barcelona 11–1 at home in the domestic cup semi-finals, following a 0–3 loss at Camp de Les Corts.