Cristiano (footballer, born 1990)


Cristiano Pereira Figueiredo, known simply as Cristiano, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Romanian club FC Hermannstadt as a goalkeeper.

Club career

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.
On 24 July 2011, Cristiano was signed by Valencia CF in Spain, being assigned to the B-side in the third division. 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 second level. 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 across 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.
On 4 July 2019, Cristiano joined FC Hermannstadt in the Romanian Liga I.

International career

Cristiano won his first cap for the Portuguese under-21 side on 9 February 2011, playing the second half of a 3–1 friendly win over Sweden in Cartaxo.

Personal life

Cristiano's younger brother, Tobias, was also a footballer. A defender, he played youth football at Sporting CP.