Famous for his mischievousness, history records that José María Lavalle used to carry a handkerchief with him on the field to wipe off his sweat during the game. One afternoon, in a match against Universitario de Deportes, the classic Aliancista rival, Lavalle received the ball at the precise moment when he was wiping himself with the handkerchief. Puzzled and not knowing what to do, he chose to dribble while waving the rag with his hand. The audience thought that Don José was dancing and began to applaud, to which he responded with piques, feints and firuletes.

When it was his turn to face an opponent who could dribble easily, Lavalle laughed and took out his handkerchief to perform a dribble that became known as “La Marinera de don José” (Don José's Marinera).

In the World Cup in Uruguay, Peru had to face the local team. Lavalle, in the Golden Book, recalls: "I had a strong and tall marker who looked like a two-piece closet. Every time I received the ball, the man came out like a bull looking for me, the only thing left to do was to piss him off and run with the ball, which made the white-and-white roar more and more". Since that match he has been known as “La Sombra de Gestido” (Gestido's Shadow), in honor of the soccer “dance” he gave to the remembered Uruguayan defender Álvaro Gestido, who would go on to win the World Cup that year with his country's national team.