Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Codina arrived at Real Madrid in 2002 at the age of 20, having been grown in the youth system of local RCD Espanyol. After the departure of Carlos Sánchez and David Cobeño, he became first-choice with the reserve side – Antonio Adán was the backup and Kiko Casilla third-choice, as he eventually gained Castilla's captaincy.
