[2][3] Cristóbal made his first-team debut for the club on 26 August 2010, in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League play-offs away to Belarus' FC Dnepr Mogilev having already won 5–0 at home in the first game; he started and was sent off in the 67th minute of a 2–1 away win.
[4] The following 15 January he made the first of two La Liga appearances, as an 86th-minute substitute for Borja Valero in a 4–2 home victory over CA Osasuna;[5] on 27 February he started at Racing de Santander as Juan Carlos Garrido rested his regulars due to an extended European run, and was taken off for Santi Cazorla just past the hour mark in a 2–2 draw.
[7] He scored in consecutive away draws at RC Celta de Vigo and Granada CF in late May,[8][9] as his side ended up losing the playoff final to the latter on the away goals rule.
Cristóbal moved abroad for the first time in July 2011, signing for an undisclosed fee to FC Karpaty Lviv in the Ukrainian Premier League, who also counted compatriot Borja Gómez in their ranks.
[10] He made 12 total appearances during his tenure, and scored the equaliser in a 2–1 home loss to FC Metalist Kharkiv on 28 August; he returned on loan to Elche on 28 January 2012.