 Born in Valencia, Garrido started managing at only 24, his first club being local amateurs El Puig Club de Fútbol.In the 1998–99 season he coached CD Onda in Tercera División as the side was Villarreal CF's farm team, a club to which he would be closely associated in the following years.In 2003, Garrido led the reserves – Onda was now an independent team – to a fourth division promotion, then was in charge of them for a couple of months in 2004, also in that tier.