Vallana’s father was Italian and worked as a machinist in Bilbao, while his mother came from Switzerland. From 1912-30 Vallana played for Arenas Club de Getxo contributing to the club’s greatest success, winning the Copa del Rey. He earned 12 cups from 1920-28 and also participated in the 1924 and 1928 Olympic football tournaments. Except for the 1920 silver medal, his Olympic appearances were not favored by fortune. In 1924 an own goal by Vallana led to the elimination of the Spanish team from the tournament and in 1928 he was injured in the first game against Mexico, which was to be his last for the national team. He later reported on the Olympics as a sports journalist for the newspaper El Mundo Deportivo. Vallana also became an international referee and was active in the same Spanish league season as a player and referee. He was an accountant by profession and coached the Basque selection. Because of the Spanish Civil War he took the opportunity to leave his team during a South America tour to emigrate to Uruguay. In Montevideo he continued to work as a sports journalist and football referee.
Spain