Cristiano da Silva (; born 12 January 1987), simply known as Cristiano, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as either an attacking midfielder or a forward.
Career Early career Cristiano was a youth product of Coritiba, but made his senior debut with Toledo in 2006. He subsequently represented Adap Galo, and Marcílio Dias before signing for Metropolitano in 2009.
In 2009, after a short loan spell at Rio Claro, Cristiano joined Chapecoense also in a temporary deal. On 22 April 2010, after playing in the year's Campeonato Catarinense back at Metrô, he joined Juventude on loan.
Cristiano became a key unit at Ju during the 2011 campaign, scoring six goals in just nine matches in the 2011 Série D before departing.
Red Bull Salzburg
In October 2011, Cristiano moved to Austria and joined Red Bull Salzburg on a trial basis. He only signed a contract with the club in December, and was officially announced on a three-and-a-half-year deal on 7 January 2012. Despite helping in the club's Bundesliga and Austrian Cup titles during the 2011–12 season, he was suspended and sent to farm team FC Liefering in September 2012.
Loan to Tochigi On 11 December 2012, it was announced that Cristiano would be joining Tochigi SC on loan for the 2013 season. He scored 16 goals during the 2013 J.League Division 2, being the club's top scorer with compatriot Sabiá.
Ventforet Kofu On 8 January 2014, Cristiano joined Ventforet Kofu on a permanent transfer. He was a regular starter for the side, but moved to Kashiwa Reysol on loan on 13 January 2015.
Back to Ventforet after scoring a career-best 21 goals for Kashiwa, Cristiano started the 2016 season scoring a brace in a 2–0 away win over Vissel Kobe on 27 February.
Kashiwa Reysol On 26 June 2016, after previously spending the past year on loan at the club, Kashiwa Reysol announced they had re-signed Cristiano on a permanent basis to a multi-year contract. He enjoyed a seven-year spell at Kashiwa, scoring 93 goals for the side; his best inputs occurred during the 2019 campaign, as he scored 19 goals to help the club return to the first division.
V-Varen Nagasaki On 26 December 2021, Cristiano moved to V-Varen Nagasaki. A regular starter in his first year, he subsequently lost space in his second.
Return to Ventforet Kofu (loan) On 5 August 2023, Cristiano was returned to Ventforet Kofu on loan until the end of the year. He scored his first goal for Ventforet against Mito HollyHock on 30 of September.
Cristiano left both Ventforet and V-Varen after the expiration of his loan.
Paraná On 27 March 2024, Cristiano returned to Brazil after more than 12 years, after signing for Paraná. He helped the club to win the Campeonato Paranaense Série Prata, featuring in 11 of the 13 matches and scoring four goals.
Portuguesa On 9 August 2024, Cristiano was announced at Portuguesa for the Copa Paulista. He remained in the squad for the 2025 Campeonato Paulista, and was the club's top scorer in the competition before signing a one-year extension on 6 March 2025.
Londrina (loan) On 18 August 2025, after being Lusas top scorer in the Série D, Cristiano was loaned to Londrina until the end of the season. Regularly used, he scored once in ten matches to help the club to achieve promotion to the second divisioon.
Ponte Preta On 1 December 2025, Cristiano rescinded his contract with Portuguesa to join Ponte Preta, also promoted to division two.
Career statistics
ClubSeasonLeagueState LeagueIncludes Campeonato Catarinense, Campeonato Paulista Série A2, Campeonato GaúchoCupIncludes Austrian Cup, Emperor's CupLeague CupIncludes J.League CupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsMetropolitano2009Catarinense—101————1012010Série D00122————122Total00223————223Rio Claro (loan)2009Paulista A2—10————10Chapecoense (loan)2009Série D131—————131Juventude (loan)2010Série C71—————712011Série D96155———7Appearance(s) in Copa FGF13112Total167155———713813Red Bull Salzburg2011–12Austrian Bundesliga153—30———1832012–1300—11—2Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League1—32Total153—41—21—215Tochigi SC2013J. League Division 24016—10———4116Ventforet Kofu2014J. League Division 1325—3156——40122016J1 League177—0040——217Total4912—3196——6119Kashiwa Reysol (loan)2015J1 League3414—342010Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League3—4921Kashiwa Reysol2016179—3300——201220173312—4420——39162018348—114163—45132019J2 League3919—2030——44192020J1 League154——30——1842021317—2121——359Total20373—1513202166—25494V-Varen Nagasaki2022J2 League366—11———3772023122—10———132Total488—21———509Ventforet Kofu (loan)2023J2 League122—00—50—172Paraná2024Paranaense Série Prata—114————114Portuguesa2024Paulista—————8Appearance(s) in Copa Paulista4842025Série D16710300———2610Total16710300——843414Londrina (loan)2025Série C101—————101Ponte Preta2026Série B000000———00Career total45813659152617298237155587188
Honours Juventude Copa FGF: 2011
Red Bull Salzburg Austrian Football Bundesliga: 2011–12 Austrian Cup: 2011–12
Kashiwa Reysol J2 League: 2019
Paraná Campeonato Paranaense Série Prata: 2024
References
External links
Profile at Kashiwa Reysol Ventforet Kofu 2014