Cristea, nicknamed "Prințul"(The Prince), was born on 30 November 1983 inIași, Romania.[1][2][3] He began playing football for his hometown club,Politehnica, in the Romanian lower leagues.[1][2] After helping Politehnica get promoted fromDivizia B, Cristea made hisDivizia A debut under coachVasile Simionaș on 30 July 2004 in a 2–1 loss toRapid București.[1][2][4][5] One week later he netted his first goal when he opened the score in the 2–1 loss toApulum Alba Iulia.[4] On 3 October he scored the only goal in a victory againstSteaua București.[4][6]
He helpedThe Red Dogs win the2006–07 title, scoring three goals in 28 matches under the guidance of coachMircea Rednic.[1][2][11] In the same season, Dinamo reached theUEFA Cup round of 32 where they were eliminated with 3–1 on aggregate byBenfica, Cristea scoring three goals in the campaign, including one in a 2–1 win overBeşiktaş in the group stage.[1][2][12] On 1 November 2008, he equalized with a header, following a pass fromGabriel Torje for a 1–1 draw againstrivals Steaua.[6][13]
He contributed to another European performance, helping the club fulfill "The wonder fromLiberec" by winning with 3–0 the away game againstSlovan Liberec, as the first leg was lost with the same score, qualifying after the penalty shoot-out to the group stage of the2009–10 Europa League.[1][2][14] On 17 October 2010, he scored a penalty goal in a 2–1 derby win over Steaua.[6][15]
In December 2010, Cristea was transferred from Dinamo toUniversitatea Cluj, for a total fee estimated by the Romanian press between€1.5 – 2 million.[1][2][16] On 1 October 2011, he scored the first hat-trick of his career in Universitatea's 5–2 victory againstGaz Metan Mediaș.[17] During one and a half years he netted 11 goals in 42 first-league matches forThe Red Caps.[1][2]
In the summer of 2012, he was transferred toPetrolul Ploiești, along with 11 other players from "U" Cluj, a move that occurred when the owner of the Cluj team left the club to take control of Petrolul.[1][2][18][19] In November 2012, he scored his only goal for Petrolul in a 2–0 win against his former team, Universitatea Cluj.[1][20]
His only experience abroad came in 2013, when he went to play in Belgium alongside fellow RomanianGeorge Țucudean, being loaned by Petrolul toStandard Liège.[21] He made hisBelgian Pro League debut on 10 February 2013, as coachMircea Rednic used him the entire match in Standard's 1–0 home loss toMons.[22]
On 30 July 2013, after terminating his contract with Petrolul Ploiești, Cristea signed a two-year contract with Steaua București.[23][24][25] However, Cristea failed to win a place in the first team, being used by coachLaurențiu Reghecampf in only nine league matches in which he scored one goal asThe Military Men won the title.[1][2][11] He also played in both legs of the2013–14 Champions League play-off where the team eliminatedLegia Warsaw, reaching thegroup stage.[1][2][26] There he made one appearance when he was sent in the 73rd minute to replaceLeandro Tatu in a 3–0 away loss toSchalke 04.[1][2][27] He ended his contract with Steaua in April 2014.[28]
In September 2014, Cristea reached an agreement withConcordia Chiajna.[1][2][29] At Chiajna he made his last Liga I appearances, totaling of 266 games with 40 goals in the competition and 34 matches with four goals in European competitions.[1][2][30]
On 25 March 2008, Cristea was decorated by the president ofRomania,Traian Băsescu, for his performance in theEuro 2008 qualifiers, where Romania managed to qualify to thefinal tournament. He received Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" – ("The Sportive Merit" Medal) class III.[33][34]
