<p>Salvador Moyà-Solà’s trajectory as a vertebrate paleontologist is reviewed in the occasion of his upcoming retirement in 2025, after 50&#xa0;years of career. A professional biography is followed by a quantitative analysis of his research outputs and a reflection about his views and accomplishments. The biography and outputs are arranged into six career stages: (1) predoctoral (1976<i>–</i>1983), dominated by the study of insular faunas and other fossil vertebrates; (2) postdoctoral (1984–1989), predating his active involvement in paleoprimatology; (3) consolidation (1990–1999), characterized by major discoveries of fossil primates; (4) visionary (2000–2006), characterized by the design of a new paleontological research center (the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont); (5) leadership (2007–2016), covering the direction of this center and the peak of his scientific production; and (6) seniority (2017–2024), once free from executive duties. With more than 300 scientific papers and multiple newly described taxa, his contributions to vertebrate paleontology from the European Cenozoic and Quaternary are undeniable, but his legacy goes well beyond research outputs. As a strong advocate of paleobiology and a charismatic, visionary, and resolute leader, he took advantage of his Miocene ape discoveries to transform the paleontological research institute founded by Miquel Crusafont in Sabadell into a benchmark research center in vertebrate and human paleontology. He thus played a key mentoring role for the next generation of paleobiologists in Catalonia, securing the continuity of Crusafont’s school of vertebrate paleontology and creating a Catalan school of paleoprimatology on his own.</p>