Cristian Alexis Montaño Castillo (born 11 December 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays for Scottish Championship club Livingston.

Born in Cali, Colombia, he emigrated to London at a young age and joined the West Ham United Academy.

[5][6] He recalled that he "always heard gun shots growing up in Colombia", before moving to England at the age of ten to join his mother, who had emigrated four years previously.

"[18] Days after leaving Swindon, Montaño signed a one-month loan deal with League Two rivals Dagenham & Redbridge.

[24] On 16 March, Montaño returned to League Two when he joined Oxford United on loan as a replacement for ex-loanee Lee Holmes.

[26] Manager Chris Wilder decided to extend the loan spell after finding that striker Tom Craddock would not recover from his injury before the end of the season.

[28] In August 2012, Montaño signed a two-year contract with Oldham Athletic, with the option of a third year, for an undisclosed fee (reported as being £50,000).

[29][30] Manager Paul Dickov said that: "I gather he could have stayed at West Ham, but he was keen to move because of his wish to play football rather than being a squad player.

[35] In November 2014, having been released from bail but with investigation still ongoing by the National Crime Agency, Montaño announced his intention to sue Oldham Athletic for unlawful dismissal and loss of earnings; this would be the remaining £39,000 of his £1,500 a week wages and compensation of £76,500.

"Following his dismissal by Oldham Athletic, Montaño returned to his hometown to play for América de Cali in the Categoría Primera B; he slept on a friend's couch and took a bus to the training ground.

[39] He scored one goal in nine league games in the 2014 season to help the "Scarlets" to a fifth-place finish and also made seven appearances in the Copa Colombia.

[39] Montaño joined Bristol Rovers in July 2015; manager Darrell Clarke stated that "he comes with quite a lot of baggage [but] I know that he is desperate for another opportunity to play league football and I'm a firm believer in giving everyone a second chance".

[48] He went on to establish himself in the first-team and scored three goals within the space of four days at the start of December – his brace against Cambridge United earned him a mention on the League Two team of the week.

[56] He managed to show his ability by scoring two goals in a 3–0 victory at Yeovil Town on 27 November, after the game he said that "I feel really happy with myself and my performance – being able to repay the gaffer and the confidence he gave me to be in the front three".

[61] Though John Askey put him back to his favoured position on the left-wing, Montaño said that he learned a lot from his time as a left-back under Aspin and became a better winger as a result.

[63] He was at fault for Macclesfield Town's opening goal in a 2–2 Boxing Day draw, but responded well by being named as man of the match in the next two games.

[64] He was praised by the Port Vale Foundation Trust for helping the charity to support the local community during the COVID-19 pandemic in England.

[66][67] He scored a "goal-of-the-season contender" in a 3–2 home defeat to Leyton Orient on 29 November 2020, "charging forward [from left-back] and bending the ball into the top corner with his weaker right foot".

[69] Port Vale appointed former Bristol Rovers boss Darrell Clarke as the club's new manager and he expressed his surprise at how well Montaño could play at left-back.

[77] However, he started the 2022–23 season in fine form, and his third goal of the campaign moved Livingston into third place with a 1–0 win over Kilmarnock on 17 September.

[82] Montaño is an extremely pacey left-sided attacker; Bristol Post reporter Jack Vittles said that "he has a decent left foot but sometimes his final delivery wasn't quite there", and that he is "an out-and-out winger" who prefers to beat defenders with pace and skill to reach the byline to put in a cross.