In June 2015, UD Las Palmas returned to the Spanish top flight by winning the promotion play-off, and one of the forwards in that squad was Alfredo Ortuño Martínez, on loan from Granada since January. Born in Yecla, in the Murcia region, on 21 January 1991, Ortuño was a centre forward who spent almost his whole career in the Spanish second division. He also had a short spell in La Liga and another in Major League Soccer, and he finished with five seasons at FC Cartagena before retiring in June 2026.
Early years in Yecla and Albacete
He started out in the academy of Yeclano Deportivo, his hometown club, and then joined the youth side of Albacete Balompié. On 20 December 2008, while still a youth player, he made his first-team debut in the second division as a second-half substitute in a 3-0 defeat away to UD Las Palmas. He split the next seasons between the reserve team in the Spanish fourth tier and the first team, which he joined permanently in the summer of 2010. In 2010-11 he played 24 league matches without scoring, and Albacete were relegated to the third tier at the end of the season.
The third tier and the step up
On 11 July 2011 he signed for Getafe B and scored 4 goals in 31 matches in the third tier. He spent 2012-13 with Levante B (31 matches, 5 goals) and in the summer of 2013 moved to La Hoya Lorca, where he scored 10 goals in 19 games before the winter break. That run persuaded Granada to sign him on 17 January 2014 and loan him straight to Girona in the second division. On 25 January 2014 he scored his first professional goal in a 1-1 home draw with SD Eibar. He ended the season with 9 goals in 20 matches, level with Gerard Bordas as Girona's top scorer, and the club narrowly avoided relegation.
Granada, Las Palmas and a string of loans
On 28 July 2014 Granada extended his contract to 2018. On 23 August 2014 he made his La Liga debut, playing 45 minutes of a 2-1 home win over Deportivo de La Coruña. He made only five league appearances for the Andalusian side, and on 16 January 2015 he joined Las Palmas on loan, scoring 4 goals in 18 matches during their promotion season. The Canary Islands club then paid a reported one million euros to sign him permanently, but he did not play for them in the top flight. On 21 July 2015 he was loaned to Real Zaragoza (7 goals in 20 matches), and in January 2016 he moved on to RCD Mallorca for six months. On 4 August 2016 he joined newly promoted second-division side Cádiz on loan. There he had the best scoring season of his career, with braces against Getafe, Alcorcón and Córdoba, and the team reached the 2017 promotion play-offs.
Valladolid and a spell in the United States
On 2 September 2017 he terminated his contract with Las Palmas and agreed a one-year deal with Real Valladolid the following day. Later that month he ended that contract as well, which ruled him out of playing for another second-division club that season. On 3 January 2018 he signed for Real Salt Lake in MLS, his first move abroad. He played three league matches and one cup game without scoring, and the club released him in July 2018.
Back at Albacete and a year in Oviedo
On 23 July 2018 he returned to Albacete on a three-year contract. In January 2019 he was loaned to Extremadura UD until the end of the season, and on 6 August 2019 he joined Real Oviedo, also on loan. At the Carlos Tartiere he played 38 league matches and scored 14 goals in 2019-20. Back at Albacete, he made 37 appearances and scored 7 goals in 2020-21, the season the club dropped to the third tier.
Five seasons at FC Cartagena
On 18 July 2021 he signed for FC Cartagena, then in the second division. He extended his contract in January 2022, stayed for five seasons and became club captain. When the team dropped to Primera Federación in 2025, Ortuño stayed with them. In August that year the Royal Spanish Football Federation credited him with 165 official matches and 32 goals for Cartagena, plus 5 La Liga and 400 second-division appearances over his career. When his contract ran out in June 2026 he retired, saying he had no wish to play for any other team. He left as the player with the most appearances for Cartagena in professional league competition, and the club held a tribute to him in October 2026 before the derby against Real Murcia.
