Quick Facts
Biography
Christopher Cristaldo Zambrini (born 15 January 1995) is an Australian Paraguayan footballer of Argentine descent who currently plays as a forward for Port Melbourne Sharks.
Club career
Youth career
In 2011, he played for the Victorian Training Centre where he made 18 appearances and scored 1 goal in the 2011 Victorian Premier League.
Melbourne Victory
On 17 November 2012, Cristaldo debuted in the 2012–13 A-League season for Melbourne Victory when he was substituted onto the field for Andrew Nabbout in the 71st minute in a 2–2 home draw against the Central Coast Mariners.
Hume City
In early 2014, Cristaldo joined Hume City FC in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, where he made 13 appearances, scoring one goal.
Werribee City
In 2015, Cristaldo joined Werribee City FC. In the first half of the season, he managed 3 goals in 11 appearances. He left the club mid year.
Melbourne City
In November 2015, Melbourne City FC Youth announced their squad for the upcoming National Youth League season, with Cristaldo included as one of the two 1995 born players, the other being Philip Petreski. He also played for their NPL side in the third tier of the Australian league system, finishing as the team's top scorer for the season.
Nacional Asunción
On 17 July 2016, it was announced by ABC Paraguay that Cristaldo joins Club Nacional of Asunción for the second semester of the 2016 season. The player becomes the fifth Australian footballer to play at level senior in South American, preceding John Crawley (1990–1995 in Chile), his father Victor Cristaldo (1993, 1996–1997 in Paraguay), Lelo Sejean (2013 and 2017 in Paraguay) and Blake Ricciuto (2014–2015 in Uruguay). Markos Gonzalez, reporter of Tigo Sports in Paraguay, reported that "Christopher Cristaldo Zambrini is the new player of Nacional and will be presented on Monday (for the day 18 of July)". According to the club president, Cristaldo will play in the reserve-team because the principal squad is complete. Paraguay's ABC News Paper verified this whilst reporting Nacional's signing of Roberto Nanni, among others. Upon his signing, he converted in the club's 12th contracted player for the second semester of 2016. He departs the club after 4 months and joins Port Melbourne Sharks.
International career
Australia
He was selected for the Australia U17 national team and was pre-selected in 2011.
He scored a goal for Australia U20 vs Saudi Arabia U20 in 2013.
Paraguay
In 2013, Paraguay's Ultima Hora published that Cristaldo's wish was to have an opportunity with Paraguay U20 national team for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.
Career statistics
International goals
Australia U20
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2013 | Estadio Els Arcs, Spain |  Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2013 Cotif Cup |
Personal life
Cristaldo is the son of former footballer Victor Cristaldo.
He completed his secondary schooling at Catholic Regional College in 2012.
Cristaldo was very young when he migrated with his family to Australia.
He studied at the University of Footscray.