After 251 official games with Athletic – five in the 1998–99 edition of the UEFA Champions League – Lacruz moved to RCD Espanyol in the summer 2006 for €300,000 on a three-year contract, reuniting with former manager Ernesto Valverde. His first competitive appearance took place on 17 August in a 0–4 home loss to FC Barcelona for the Supercopa de España, and he scored his first goal for his new team against A.S. Livorno Calcio in a UEFA Cup match. In the same competition, he added another in a 2–1 win at SV Werder Bremen as the Catalans went on to lose the final to Sevilla FC on penalties; after having appeared in only ten league contests in the 2008–09 campaign, the 31-year-old left the "Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys".