Born in
Munich, Germany to
Portuguese parents, Cristiano started playing youth football with
Académico de Viseu FC, finishing his development with
S.C. Braga. He spent his first two years as a senior as the latter's third choice, also being loaned to
F.C. Vizela who acted as the
farm team. Cristiano was signed by
Valencia CF from Spain on 24 July 2011, being assigned to the
B side in the
Segunda División B. He appeared in just five games during his
only season. In summer 2012, Cristiano returned to Portugal and Braga, being again third string with the main squad and competing with the re-created
reserves in the
Segunda Liga. He made his debut as a professional on 11 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–2 away draw against
S.L. Benfica B. For the
2014–15 campaign, Cristiano went on loan to
Académica de Coimbra of the
Primeira Liga. He appeared in 28 games in all competitions, helping his team narrowly avoid relegation. On 5 January 2016, having been deemed surplus to requirements by manager
Paulo Fonseca as several other Portuguese players, Cristiano signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Greek club
Panetolikos FC. He returned to his country one year later, going on to represent
C.F. Os Belenenses and
Vitória de Setúbal in the top tier. Cristiano joined
FC Hermannstadt on 4 July 2019. Two years later, he agreed to a three-year deal at
CFR Cluj also from the Romanian
Liga I. However, in January 2022 the
free agent signed with
FC Dinamo București still in that country and league. In January 2023, Cristiano moved to
FC Spartak Varna of the
First Professional Football League (Bulgaria). Twelve months later, he joined
FC Košice of the
Slovak First Football League on a one-and-a-half-year contract. Cristiano returned to Portugal on 20 August 2024 after five years abroad, joining second-tier
F.C. Felgueiras. ==International career==