Cris spent a three year spell in São Paulo playing for Corinthians (1995–98) before joining Cruzeiro. There he won his first cap for the national team, playing on 4 April 1999 against the USA in Brasilia (a match won 7–0 by Brazil). In 2000, the Brazilian magazine Placar named Cris as the leading player in his position during the Brazilian Championship, awarding him the Silver Ball title.
In 2002, he secured a transfer to Europe, moving to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. However, this move did not prove successful as he struggled to adapt to his new surroundings both on and off the field. The following year saw him return to his native country, rejoining Cruzeiro as part of their Brazilian Championship winning team of that year.
In August 2004, he left Brazil once more, this time moving to Olympique Lyonnais for a transfer fee close to three million euros. Having been involved in a brawl during a match in June earlier that year Cris ran the risk of a six month suspension that the Brazilian Football Federation eventually decided not to extend to matches outside of Brazil. This affair, along with the physical duel he enjoyed with Thierry Henry during the France-Brazil international at the Stade de France on 20 May 2004 (a match that finished goalless), earned Cris the reputation of a rough, rugged defender.
After an unconvincing first spell in Europe Cris quickly imposed himself at the heart of Olympique Lyonnais' defense, proving himself an international class defender. His first season in Ligue 1 saw the club crowned league champions and Cris was selected in the Ligue 1 Players' team of the year. His second season was one of consolidation : Cris again had an excellent season with Lyon leaving no doubt as to his overall class. He was crowned "étoile d'or"" (Gold Star) by the magazine France Football. The newspaper L'Equipe considered him the best defender of the 2005–06 season and he was once more voted into the Ligue 1 team of the year by his fellow professionals. This excellent season earned him an upwardly revised salary as well as a one year extension to his contract, tying him to the French club until 2010."you can buy Netherlands world cup tickets and uefa europa league final tickets here.
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