Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues
Encyclopedia
Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues (born 3 June 1981), commonly known as Cristiano, is a Brazil
ian footballer who plays as a striker for South Australian Premier League
side White City FC
.
. He signed his first professional contract with Breda at age 16. Cristiano was impressive, without being a prolific goal scorer and spent four reasonably successful years with Breda before moving to fellow Dutch side Roda JC.
Cristiano's performances with Breda impressed Roda manager Wiljan Vloet
who was desperate to bring the Brazilian to the club. Cristiano had a fairly successful time with Roda and averaged 0.34 goals a game in his four year stint.
, Cristiano sought a new challenge in a foreign country and jumped at the opportunity to join Swiss giants FC Basel
. Cristiano struggled to command a regular starting spot in to the side (though did win the Swiss Cup), and eventually went on loan back to Holland with Willem II. His loan spell with Willem II was very successful, scoring 5 goals in 12 appearances. Willem II made Cristiano's move permanent at the end of the 2006–07 season.
status requiring a high minimum salary, and began seeking options of regular football elsewhere.
to join A-League
side Adelaide United at the start of the 2008–09 season. Adelaide had lost Nathan Burns
and Bruce Djite
in the off-season and were in desperate need for a permanent striker. After scoring on his debut in a pre-season match, Cristiano made his A-League debut in a 1–0 victory over Perth Glory. Cristiano was impressive in his debut, setting up the winning goal scored by Travis Dodd
.
Cristiano scored his first competitive goal for Adelaide United in Round three against Wellington Phoenix at Hindmarsh Stadium
. Cristiano finished with a brace in a 3–0 victory. After helping Adelaide United become the first Australian side to reach the Semi Finals of the AFC Champions League
, he scored a brace days later to help the Reds to a 2–0 victory over reigning premiers Newcastle Jets.
Cristiano scored his fifth goal in seven A-League matches by getting on the score sheet in a 3–3 draw against Central Coast. He scored the only goal of the Club World Cup fifth place play off against Egyptian
club Al-Ahly
the impressive twenty yard strike was awarded 'goal of the tournament'.
In the 2008–09 Grand Final against Melbourne Victory, Cristiano was controversially red carded in the 10th minute. However, this red card was rescinded from his record.
He was released from Adelaide after their 2010 Asian Champions League campaign after they were knocked out of the round of 16.
.
side White City FC
with an aim to further his career in coaching and to aim for re-signing with his former A-League
club, Adelaide United
.
Cristiano made his debut for White City FC
in a 3-2 loss to Enfield City. He also scored from a header and was later sent off.
1 - includes A-League
final series statistics
2 - includes FIFA Club World Cup
statistics; AFC Champions League
statistics are included in season commencing after group stages (i.e. 2008 ACL in 2008-09 A-League season etc.)
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian footballer who plays as a striker for South Australian Premier League
South Australian Premier League
The South Australian Premier League is now the second-highest state-level football competition in South Australia. It is conducted by the Football Federation of South Australia , the state's governing body. Prior to the 2006 season, this was the highest level competition in South Australia...
side White City FC
White City Woodville
White City Woodville are a football club from Adelaide, South Australia. White City Woodville play in the South Australian Premier League formed in 2006. They are based at Frank Mitchell Park in Woodville West in Adelaide's western suburbs. They are a Serbian Australian-backed club and are also...
.
Early career
Cristiano began his club career with Dutch club NAC BredaNAC Breda
NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...
. He signed his first professional contract with Breda at age 16. Cristiano was impressive, without being a prolific goal scorer and spent four reasonably successful years with Breda before moving to fellow Dutch side Roda JC.
Cristiano's performances with Breda impressed Roda manager Wiljan Vloet
Wiljan Vloet
Wiljan Vloet is a Dutch football manager, who is the current technical director of Sparta Rotterdam.-Career:...
who was desperate to bring the Brazilian to the club. Cristiano had a fairly successful time with Roda and averaged 0.34 goals a game in his four year stint.
FC Basel
After eight seasons in the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Cristiano sought a new challenge in a foreign country and jumped at the opportunity to join Swiss giants FC Basel
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the...
. Cristiano struggled to command a regular starting spot in to the side (though did win the Swiss Cup), and eventually went on loan back to Holland with Willem II. His loan spell with Willem II was very successful, scoring 5 goals in 12 appearances. Willem II made Cristiano's move permanent at the end of the 2006–07 season.
Willem II
Cristiano was unable to capture his form from his loan spell the previous season. Despite being well known in Holland, he received tentative interest from other Dutch clubs due to his non-EUEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
status requiring a high minimum salary, and began seeking options of regular football elsewhere.
Adelaide United
Cristiano moved to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to join A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
side Adelaide United at the start of the 2008–09 season. Adelaide had lost Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns is an Australian international football player currently playing as a right winger for AEK Athens F.C. in the Greek Super League.-Adelaide United:He formerly played for Parramatta Eagles and trained at the AIS....
and Bruce Djite
Bruce Djite
Bruce José Djite is an American-born Australian football striker who currently plays for Adelaide United F.C. in the A-League.-Club career:...
in the off-season and were in desperate need for a permanent striker. After scoring on his debut in a pre-season match, Cristiano made his A-League debut in a 1–0 victory over Perth Glory. Cristiano was impressive in his debut, setting up the winning goal scored by Travis Dodd
Travis Dodd
Travis Dodd is an Indigenous Australian football player who plays for Perth Glory in the A-League. He plays as an attacking midfielder or winger.-Club career:...
.
Cristiano scored his first competitive goal for Adelaide United in Round three against Wellington Phoenix at Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
. Cristiano finished with a brace in a 3–0 victory. After helping Adelaide United become the first Australian side to reach the Semi Finals of the AFC Champions League
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
, he scored a brace days later to help the Reds to a 2–0 victory over reigning premiers Newcastle Jets.
Cristiano scored his fifth goal in seven A-League matches by getting on the score sheet in a 3–3 draw against Central Coast. He scored the only goal of the Club World Cup fifth place play off against Egyptian
Egyptian Football Association
The Egyptian Football Association is the governing body of football in Egypt.The leading Egyptian clubs are as follows, with the total number of national competitions following the name of the club....
club Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly Sports Club , commonly known as simply Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian sporting club. Founded in April 1907, Al-Ahly was named in 2000 by the Confederation of African Football as the "African Club of the Century"...
the impressive twenty yard strike was awarded 'goal of the tournament'.
In the 2008–09 Grand Final against Melbourne Victory, Cristiano was controversially red carded in the 10th minute. However, this red card was rescinded from his record.
He was released from Adelaide after their 2010 Asian Champions League campaign after they were knocked out of the round of 16.
Tarxien Rainbows
During the 2010–11 summer transfer window he signed a two-year contract until 2011–12, with Maltese Premier League club Tarxien RainbowsTarxien Rainbows F.C.
Tarxien Rainbows Football Club are a football team from Tarxien, a town in southern Malta. They currently play in the Maltese Premier League.The club were founded as Little Rainbows in 1944, and participated in the Maltese Premier League for the 2009–10 season. The club was promoted to the best...
.
White City
It was announced on 7 June 2011 that Cristiano would move back to Adelaide and sign with South Australian Premier LeagueSouth Australian Premier League
The South Australian Premier League is now the second-highest state-level football competition in South Australia. It is conducted by the Football Federation of South Australia , the state's governing body. Prior to the 2006 season, this was the highest level competition in South Australia...
side White City FC
White City Woodville
White City Woodville are a football club from Adelaide, South Australia. White City Woodville play in the South Australian Premier League formed in 2006. They are based at Frank Mitchell Park in Woodville West in Adelaide's western suburbs. They are a Serbian Australian-backed club and are also...
with an aim to further his career in coaching and to aim for re-signing with his former A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
club, Adelaide United
Adelaide United FC
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It currently participates in the A-League as the sole team from the state of South Australia. Adelaide is one of the most successful clubs in the A-League. The club's home ground is...
.
Cristiano made his debut for White City FC
White City Woodville
White City Woodville are a football club from Adelaide, South Australia. White City Woodville play in the South Australian Premier League formed in 2006. They are based at Frank Mitchell Park in Woodville West in Adelaide's western suburbs. They are a Serbian Australian-backed club and are also...
in a 3-2 loss to Enfield City. He also scored from a header and was later sent off.
Career statistics
(Correct as of 1 January 2009)| Club | Season | League1 | Cup | International2 | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| NAC Breda NAC Breda NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of... |
1998–99 Eredivisie 1998-99 The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1998/1999 season was contested by 18 teams. Feyenoord won the championship.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup... |
4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 1999–00 Eredivisie 1999-00 The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1999/2000 season was contested by 18 teams. PSV won the championship.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup. 2 MVV and Cambuur both relegated after losing their promotion/relegation play-offs.-Promotion/relegation play-offs:... |
13 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 | |
| 2000–01 Eredivisie 2000-01 The Dutch Eredivisie in the 2000/2001 season was contested by 18 teams. PSV won the championship.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup. 2 Fortuna Sittard and Sparta both remained in the eredivisie after winning their promotion/relegation play-offs.... |
24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 | |
| 2001–02 Eredivisie 2001-02 The Dutch Eredivisie in the 2001/2002 season was contested by 18 teams. Ajax won the championship.-League standings:1 Ajax alson won the KNVB Cup, thereby taking the double. They would participate in the Champions League, so finalists FC Utrecht could play in the UEFA Cup... |
29 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 10 | |
| Total | 70 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 20 | |
| Roda JC | 2002–03 Eredivisie 2002-03 The Dutch Eredivisie in the 2002/2003 season was contested by 18 teams. PSV won the championship.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup. 2 FC Zwolle remained in the eredivisie after winning their promotion/relegation play-offs... |
25 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 6 |
| 2003–04 Eredivisie 2003-04 The 2003-2004 season of the Dutch Eredivisie began in August 2003 and ended in May 2004. The title was won by Ajax.- League standings :- Topscorers :- Relegation playoffs :- Match table :- References :* *... |
28 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 11 | |
| 2004–05 Eredivisie 2004-05 The 2004-05 season of the Eredivisie started on August 13, 2004 and ended on May 22, 2005. The title was won by PSV. FC Den Bosch and De Graafschap were relegated to the Eerste Divisie at the end of the season.-Promoted teams:... |
16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 | |
| 2005–06 | 30 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 14 | |
| Total | 99 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 107 | 37 | |
| FC Basel FC Basel Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the... |
2006–07 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Total | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 2 | |
| Willem II Tilburg Willem II Tilburg Willem II , also known as Willem II Tilburg, is a football club based in Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands. The team was founded on 12 August 1896 as Tilburgia... |
2006–07 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 |
| 2007–08 Eredivisie 2007-08 The 2007–08 Eredivisie was the 52nd season of the Eredivisie, the top division of association football in the Netherlands. The season began in August 2007 and ended on 18 May 2008, with defending champions PSV retaining their title with 72 points.... |
13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| Total | 25 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 6 | |
| Adelaide United | 2008–09 A-League 2008-09 The 2008–09 A-League season was the fourth season of the Australasian A-League association football competition. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder and Gold Coast Galaxy had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008. Expansion... |
25 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 37 | 12 |
| 2009–10 | 24 | 3 | |||||||
| 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | ||||||
| Total | 49 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 61 | 15 | |
| Total | 250 | 70 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 282 | 81 | |
1 - includes A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
final series statistics
2 - includes FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
statistics; AFC Champions League
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
statistics are included in season commencing after group stages (i.e. 2008 ACL in 2008-09 A-League season etc.)