 During his 16-year professional career, he played solely for Sporting de Gijón even though he was born in the city of neighbouring Oviedo.After 17 appearances and one goal in his debut season in La Liga he became an undisputed starter, going on to appear in a further 462 top division games until June 1992 (679 overall), with a total of 65 goals scored.In the 1986–87 campaign, as the team finished fourth, Joaquín netted eight times in 40 contests (third-best in the squad in scoring).