Cristian López Santamaría (born 27 April 1989), known simply as Cristian, is a Spanish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for Ceuta.

Club career

Alicante

Born in

Crevillent Crevillent ( es, Crevillente) is a town and municipality located in the Alicante province, part of the Valencian Community, Spain. It is situated in the ''comarca'' of Baix Vinalopó, and lies at the foot of the hill range known locally as Serra ...

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...

, Valencian Community, Cristian played for several clubs as a youth, including local

Crevillente Deportivo Crevillente Deportivo is a Spanish football team based in Crevillent, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1967 it plays in Regional Preferente – Group 5, holding home games at '' Estadio Municipal Enrique Miralles'', which has a ...

and

Alicante CF Alicante Club de Fútbol was a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the Valencian Community. Founded in 1918, it played its home matches at ''Estadio Alicante CF'', with a 4,000-seat capacity. History ''Alicante Club de Fútbol'', under t ...

. He made his debut for the latter's first team during the 2007–08 season, as they returned to

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the Lig ...

after a 50-year absence. In the following campaign, Cristian continued playing mostly with the reserves in the Tercera División, with the main squad finally being relegated. He made his division two debut in a game against

Hércules CF Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish football team in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencian Community. Founded on 25 October 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División RFEF – Group 3 and plays its hom ...

on 6 June 2009, scoring in a 1–2 local derby home loss.

Castilla and Mestalla

López signed for

Real Madrid Castilla Real Madrid Castilla Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team that plays in Primera Federación – Group 1 for the 2022–23 season. It is Real Madrid's reserve team. They play their home games at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium with a cap ...

in the summer of 2009, with

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

's reserves in the third division. He finished his

first year A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

with ten goals – second-best in the squad – as the team finished eighth in the league. In January 2011, Cristian signed for Valencia CF's

B team B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' bee'' (pronounced ), plural ''bees''. It r ...

in the fourth level, in a season-long loan. He scored in double digits as the ''Che'' reserves returned to the third tier at the first attempt, and the move was made permanent in the summer. He added a further 11 goals the following campaign, including four as they won 4–2 at UE Sant Andreu on 13 May 2012. Cristian spent

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

still in division three, with

CD Atlético Baleares Club Deportivo Atlético Baleares, S.A.D. ( ca, Club Esportiu Atlètic Balears) is a Spanish football team based in Palma, Majorca, in the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. Founded on 1920, it currently plays in Primera División RF ...

. He ranked top scorer for the

Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situate ...

-based side, scoring twice on 31 March 2013 in a 3–0 home win over city rivals RCD Mallorca B.

Huddersfield

On 24 July 2013, trialist Cristian played for Huddersfield Town against Real Betis, in a 4–2

friendly Friendly may refer to: Places * Friendly, West Yorkshire, a settlement in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England * Friendly, Maryland, an unincorporated community in the United States * Friendly, Eugene, Oregon, a neighborhood in the United States * ...

loss at the John Smith's Stadium, and he scored in the next pre-season match with Oldham Athletic (3–2 defeat). The following week he signed a one-year deal with the Terriers, taking the number 19 shirt vacated by Alan Lee. Cristian made his

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

on 3 August 2013, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat at Nottingham Forest – in the process, he became the club's first ever Spanish player in its 105-year history. On 10 October, however, he joined

Football League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

side Shrewsbury Town on a month's loan, becoming the first Spaniard to sign for the club. He scored his first goal for them and in English football on the 22nd, in a 1–1 draw against Colchester United at the New Meadow, but returned to Huddersfield on 5 November following an injury crisis to its attacking sector. On 14 March 2014, López moved to

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

's Northampton Town, on loan for the rest of the season. He was released by Huddersfield in May.

Burgos and CFR Cluj

On 17 July 2014, Cristian joined Burgos CF in the third tier, eventually helping his team to a mid-table finish. He received a straight

red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...

on 11 October 2014 in a goalless draw at

CD Guijuelo Club Deportivo Guijuelo is a Spanish football team based in Guijuelo, Province of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded in 1974 it plays in Segunda División RFEF – Group 1, holding home games at the 1,500-seat ...

, for a 15th-minute high challenge on Juli Ferrer. Cristian moved abroad for the second time in June 2015, signing with Romanian Liga I's CFR Cluj. He made his top-flight debut on 11 July, replacing Guima for the final 20 minutes of a 2–2 draw at

FC Viitorul Constanța Fotbal Club Viitorul Constanța (), commonly known as Viitorul Constanța or simply Viitorul, was a Romanian professional football club based in Ovidiu, Constanța County. They last played their home matches in blue and black kits at the Stadionu ...

in the opening game of the season. A month later, he scored his first goal for the ''Feroviarii'', the game's only at the

Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Stadium, informally also known as CFR Cluj Stadium, is a football-only stadium in the Gruia district, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and is home ground of CFR Cluj. The stadium is named after Constantin Rădulescu (1924–2001) ...

against

FC Petrolul Ploiești Asociația Clubul Sportiv Petrolul 52, commonly known as Petrolul Ploiești () or simply as Petrolul, is a Romanian professional football club based in Ploiești, Prahova County, which competes in the Liga I. Founded in 1924 in capital Bucharest ...

, four minutes after coming on for Leo Beleck. On 31 August 2015, Cristian recorded a hat-trick in a 3–1 home win over

FC Botoșani Fotbal Club Botoșani (), commonly known as FC Botoșani or simply Botoșani, is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Botoșani, Botoșani County, that competes in the Liga I. In 2013, twelve years after being established, ...

. The following 17 May, in the final of the

Cupa României The Cupa României ( en, Romanian Cup) is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. I ...

, he came on at half-time for Tomislav Gomelt and headed a last-minute equaliser as CFR came from behind to draw 2–2 against

FC Dinamo București Fotbal Club Dinamo București (), commonly known as Dinamo București or simply Dinamo, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in Bucharest. Founded in 1948, they have spent almost List of unrelegated association f ...

before

winning Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * '' Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Foot Pole, 2022 ...

in a penalty shootout.

Lens

Cristian switched countries again on 31 August 2016, when he joined

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...

club RC Lens on a one-year deal with the option for a second. He made his debut nine days later, replacing

Kévin Fortuné Kévin Fortuné (born 6 August 1989) is a professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for club US Orléans, Orléans and the Martinique national football team, Martinique national team. E ...

for the final ten minutes of a 1–1 home draw with FC Bourg-Pérronas, and scored his first goal on 20 September in a 4–2 victory over US Orléans also at the

Stade Bollaert-Delelis The Stade Bollaert-Delelis () is the main football stadium in Lens, France, that was built in 1933. It is the home of RC Lens. The stadium's capacity is 38,223 – about 7,000 more than the city's population. The stadium was originally named af ...

. The team finished fourth, one point off promotion, and he was joint-third amongst scorers with 16 goals. Cristian scored eight times in the first half of the 2017–18 season. He then embarked on a drought which lasted until the final two fixtures against Tours FC and AJ Auxerre, and fans petitioned for him to be given a new contract.

Angers

On 31 August 2018, the last day of the 2018 summer transfer window, free agent Cristian signed a one-year contract with Angers SCO. His maiden appearance in

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

took place on 6 October, when he played the last eight minutes of a 2–2 home draw to RC Strasbourg Alsace. He scored his first goal late in same month, but in a 1–2 loss against

Olympique Lyonnais Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a men and women's French professional football club based in Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The men play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. Founded in 1950, th ...

Hatta and Las Palmas

On 19 August 2019, Cristian agreed to a one-year deal at

UAE Pro-League The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...

's Hatta Club. The following 1 March, he signed with Spanish second-division side UD Las Palmas for the rest of the season with the option of one more.

Aris

Cristian signed a two-year contract with Aris Thessaloniki F.C. on 26 August 2020. He scored in his

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

debut, equalising against

PAS Lamia 1964 Lamia Football Club ( el, Π.Α.Ε. Π.Α.Σ. Λαμία 1964) is a Greek professional football club based in Lamia, Greece. It was founded in 1964. The club plays in the Super League, the first tier of Greek football. It plays its home match ...

in an eventual 3–1 home win. On 1 February 2021, Cristian joined FC Cartagena on loan until 30 June.

Eldense

On 8 August 2022, López returned to his home country and moved to

Primera Federación The Primera Federación, formerly known as Primera División RFEF, is the third tier of the Spanish football league system beginning with the 2021–22 season. It is administered by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. It is below the top tw ...

club

CD Eldense Club Deportivo Eldense is a Spanish football team based in Elda, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1921, the club plays in the Primera División RFEF – Group 2, and holds home matches at ''Estadio Nuevo Pepico Amat'', which ha ...

. Mainly a backup, he contributed four goals in 27 total matches in his only season, in a return to the second tier after 59 years.

Career statistics

Honours

Valencia B * Tercera División:

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

CFR Cluj *

: 2015–16

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Cristian 1989 births Living people People from Crevillent Spanish men's footballers Footballers from the Province of Alicante Men's association football forwards Segunda División players Segunda División B players Tercera División players Primera Federación players Crevillente Deportivo players Alicante CF footballers Real Madrid Castilla footballers Valencia CF Mestalla footballers CD Atlético Baleares footballers Burgos CF footballers UD Las Palmas players FC Cartagena footballers CD Eldense footballers English Football League players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Liga I players CFR Cluj players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players RC Lens players Angers SCO players UAE Pro League players Hatta Club players Super League Greece players Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players Spanish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Romania Spanish expatriate sportspeople in France Spanish expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Greece