 Garitano was born in Bilbao, Basque Country.Grown through the ranks of Athletic Bilbao, he would however never make it past the reserves, his sole first team appearance being as a late substitute in a UEFA Cup win away to UC Sampdoria in 1997, also serving loans with modest clubs including SD Eibar.In the summer of 1999, Garitano joined Segunda División B team CD Ourense.