Artola was born in the Basque Country to a sporting family, as his brothers Ramón and Manuel were also footballers. He played in his youth for Club Deportivo Esperanza and joined Real Sociedad in 1913. In 1915 Artola had to leave the Basque Country and Real Sociedad for military service with the Spanish Air Force. He then played for Madrid FC (1915-16), winning the Campeonato Regional Centro, and for two years in Sevilla, 1916-17, with Real Betis, and then with Sevilla FC in 1917-18. Artola returned to his native club in 1918 and played with Real Sociedad up to 1926.
Mainly a striker, but also able to play midfield, Artola played in about 90 league matches for Real Sociedad, scoring 36 goals. He won two Campeonato Regional de Guipúzcoa titles and also played in one Copa del Rey final. In 1913 he played in all three finals against FC Barcelona in the UECF (Unión Española de Clubes de Fútbol) Copa del Rey, but Real Sociedad lost the third match after two draws. This competition was played simultaneously with the cup organized by the Spanish Football Federation, nevertheless both competitions are now considered official. Artola’s only two international matches came during the 1920 Games when he played against Belgium and Italy in Antwerpen. He toured South America in 1922 with the Basque Country team. Artola died in 1937 during the Civil War.
Spain