After starting out at Real Madrid, Parejo first made a name in La Liga with Getafe. Transferring to Valencia in 2011, he went on to appear in 383 official matches for the latter club and win the 2019 Copa del Rey. He also spent four months in England with Queens Park Rangers.
Across all youth levels, Parejo won 43 caps for Spain and scored nine goals. He made his full debut in 2018, at the age of 28.
Parejo was given the squad number 17, which had previously been assigned to Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was also out for several months due to a serious injury. He appeared little during the season, his first match being the 4–0 La Liga away victory over Sporting de Gijón on 15 February as he replaced Sergio Ramos for the final ten minutes.[10]
Getafe
In late July 2009, as Esteban Granero was re-bought from Getafe CF, Parejo went in the opposite direction with Real, as in Granero's case, having a similar option.[11] On 25 March 2010, he scored against his former club after stealing the ball from goalkeeperIker Casillas, but the hosts lost 4–2.[12] Having to compete for a starting berth in central midfield with coach Míchel's son, Adrián – a former teammate in Real Madrid B – he nevertheless contributed solidly during the campaign as they qualified for the second time in their history for the UEFA Europa League.[13]
Parejo appeared more in 2010–11 (36 matches), but the Madrid outskirts side only narrowly avoided relegation.[14][15][16]
Valencia
On 14 June 2011, Valencia CF signed Parejo for a reported €6 million, with out-of-favour goalkeeper Miguel Ángel Moyá going to Getafe on a year-long loan as part of the deal.[17][18] He made his league debut on 15 August, playing 80 minutes in a 1–1 away draw to RCD Mallorca.[19]
Parejo was quickly deemed surplus to requirements at his new club, his situation not improving even after the serious injury suffered by Sergio Canales, who played in his same position.[20] He bounced back, however, for 2012–13, scoring twice in 36 official games in an eventual fifth-place finish.[21][22][23]
In the following years, Parejo was an undisputed starter for several managers. In the 2014–15 season, his first as captain, he scored a career-best 12 goals, being one of the best scorers in the competition from the midfielder position.[24] In the process, he also became the first Valencia midfielder to score ten or more goals since Vicente in 2003–04.[25]
On 12 August 2020, Parejo joined Villarreal CF on a free transfer and a four-year contract.[30] He moved to the local rivals alongside his teammate Francis Coquelin, a move which caused fury from Valencia's fans towards their chairman Peter Lim.[31]
^"Comunicado oficial" [Official announcement] (in Spanish). Valencia CF. 14 June 2011. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
^"Acuerdo por Parejo" [Agreement for Parejo] (in Spanish). Getafe CF. 14 June 2011. Archived from the original on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
^Ballester, Nacho (14 December 2012). "Nueva oportunidad para Dani Parejo" [New chance for Dani Parejo] (in Spanish). Deporte Valenciano. Retrieved 18 January 2020.