Throughout his time in the club's youth system he was a member of the under-15 squad who won the Campionato Giovanissimi Nazionali in 2010, scoring eight goals, as well as a member of the under-17 side who won the Campionato Allievi Nazionali in 2011. He made his professional debut for the club on 6 December 2011, aged 16 years and 278 days, coming on as a substitute for Robinho in a UEFA Champions League group stage match against Viktoria Plzeň, which ended in a 2–2 draw. He thus became the youngest ever Milan player to feature in a Champions League game and third youngest overall. Cristante was elected as the best player at the Torneo di Viareggio 2013. On 4 March 2013, Cristante signed his first professional contract, which would have kept him at Milan until 2018. He joined the first team squad at the start of the 2013–14 season. On 10 November 2013, he made his debut in Serie A, coming on as a substitute for Kaká in a match against Chievo Verona, which ended in a 0–0 draw. He scored his first goal for the club on 6 January 2014, set up by the Brazilian in a 3–0 victory at the San Siro against Atalanta.
On 1 September 2014, Cristante signed a five-year contract with Portuguese champions Benfica for a transfer fee of €4.84 million. On 12 December, he debuted in a 0–5 Primeira Liga victory at Vitória Setúbal. On 14 January, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win against Arouca in the third round of the league cup.
Atalanta
Cristante joined Atalanta on loan from Benfica in January 2017; Atalanta later bought him outright in summer 2018 for the €4 million release clause, in a total fee of €9.5 million, with Benfica keeping 15% of Cristante's economic rights.
Roma
On 8 June 2018, Cristante was immediately loaned out to Roma in a one-year loan deal from Atalanta for a fee of €5 million with a compulsory purchase option for an additional €15 million and a further €10 million in performance-related bonuses. On 28 February 2019, Roma made the deal permanent.
International career
Prior to representing the Italian senior side, Cristante also represented Italy at various youth levels. He was initially also eligible to play for Canada at international level, as he holds a Canadian passport through his father. On 10 November 2016, he made his debut with the Italy U21 team, in a friendly match lost 3–2 against England in Southampton. Cristante was called up to the senior Italy national team for the side's 2018 World Cup qualifying matches against Macedonia and Albania on 6 and 9 October 2017, respectively. He made his senior international debut on 6 October, coming on as a substitute in the second half of an eventual 1–1 home draw against Macedonia.
Career statistics
Club
1European competitions include the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
