Navarro was born in Sallent de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia. A product of Valencia CF's youth system, he first appeared in La Liga on 15 June 1997 in a 2–1 home win against Real Oviedo, but could never settle at his first club, moving to CD Numancia where he played two years; he scored ten league goals in his first season in Soria, helping barely avoid top FLIGHT relegation.