Roque santa cruz paraguay
Roque Santa Cruz
Paraguayan footballer (born )
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Santa Cruz and the second or maternal family name is Cantero.
Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (locally[ˈrokeˈlwissantaˈkɾuskanˈteɾo]; born 16 August ) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paraguayan Primera División club Libertad.
He is the record goal scorer and has earned over caps for the Paraguay national team, thus he is regarded as one of the best players in the nation's history. Santa Cruz has scored goals at a professional level in each of the last four decades.[3]
Santa Cruz started his career with Olimpia, progressing through their youth system to the first-team squad where he made his debut at the age of 15 in [4] He finished his career with the club having scored 13 goals in 24 Primera División appearances where Olimpia claimed the , and Primera División titles.
Santa Cruz scored three goals in four appearances for Paraguay at the FIFA World Youth Championship before debuting for the Paraguay national team at the Copa América, where he scored three goals in four appearances. He immediately joined Bundesliga club Bayern Munich in August for a fee of €5&#;million, which was the highest transfer fee in Paraguayan football until [5][6] where he scored five goals in 28 league appearances in his first season.
He faced a series of injuries and heavy competition from teammates Giovane Élber, Roy Makaay and Claudio Pizarro which limited his impact and restricted his appearances for the club.
Santa Cruz was part of a successful team for Bayern, winning numerous Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and DFB-Ligapokal titles. He also won the –01 UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup.
He left Bayern Munich in July to join Blackburn Rovers for a transfer fee of €5&#;million, where he scored 19 goals in the –08 Premier League season.
Roque santa cruz giselle: View the biography of Libertad Forward Roque Santa Cruz on ESPN. Includes career history and teams played for.
In June , he joined Manchester City for a fee of £&#;million on a four-year deal. Since his transfer, he was loaned out to Blackburn and Real Betis.
He represented Paraguay at the , and FIFA World Cup tournaments, and at the , , (where Paraguay finished runners-up) and Copa América tournaments. He retired from international football in ,[7] but reversed his decision in May
Club career
Olimpia Asunción
–
Santa Cruz joined Primera División Paraguaya club Olimpia Asunción's youth academy at the age of nine,[4] where he became the top scorer during several seasons.
The club's first-team coach, Luis Cubilla, invited Santa Cruz to train with the team aged 15,[8] and the player eventually made his first-team appearance in the Primera División Paraguaya at the age of 15,[4][8][9] during the Torneo Clausura on 27 July when he entered the field in the 80th minute for Alfredo Mendoza in the Paraguayan derby against Cerro Porteño.[10]
season
During the group stages of the Copa Mercosur, Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the competition in the 11th minute of Olimpia Asunción's 4–2 away victory against Argentine side Racing Club on 14 October [11] The club finished in second position of their group with ten points, and advanced to the quarter-finals to face José Luís Chilavert's Vélez Sársfield.
During the first-leg of the quarter-final match on 27 October, Santa Cruz scored in the 65th minute of Olimpia's 4–3 away victory.[11] One week later, Santa Cruz scored a brace for Olimpia as they claimed a 2–1 home victory in the second leg on 4 November His goals came in the 24th and 40th minutes of the first half.
All of his three goals[12] were scored against his international teammate Chilavert.[13] Bayern Munich's eyes looked at Santa Cruz for the first time after he scored his double past José Luís Chilavert.[14] The club was later eliminated from the competition at the semi-final stage by Palmeiras, who would go on to win the tournament.
Giselle santa cruz
Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (locally [ˈroke ˈlwis santa ˈkɾus kanˈteɾo]; born 16 August ) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paraguayan Primera División club Libertad.During the Primera División Paraguaya season, Santa Cruz scored three goals in nine appearances as Olimpia were crowned champions of the league. The club had also reached the knock-out stages of the Copa Libertadores, where they were eliminated by Argentina's Colón.
season
During the Primera División Paraguaya season, Santa Cruz scored 10 goals in 14 appearances as Olimpia claimed the league title.
Santa Cruz participated at the Copa Libertadores, where Olimpia were drawn in Group 3 with Cerro Porteño, eventual champions Palmeiras and Corinthians. In Olimpia first group stage match, against Cerro Porteño on 24 February, Santa Cruz scored a second-half double past Aldo Bobadilla in the 58th and 89th minutes as his side were defeated 4–3.[14][15] On 5 March, Santa Cruz played a full 90 minutes in his side's second group stage match, a 4–2 home victory against Palmeiras.[16] Santa Cruz again featured for Olimpia in their third group stage fixture, a 1–1 away draw against Palmeiras on 12 March.[17] In Olimpia's fourth group stage fixture, Santa Cruz featured in the entire match as his side drew 2–2 at home against Cerro Porteño on 17 March.[18] On 26 March, Santa Cruz played a full 90 minutes in Olimpia's 2–1 home defeat against Corinthians in their fifth Copa Libertadores group stage fixture.
Olimpia had been 1–0 in front since the 31st minute of the match, before Corinthians would go on to score two goals in the second half.[19]
On 16 May , a Bayern Munich delegation composed of Franz Beckenbauer, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Uli Hoeneß, Søren Lerby and Giovanni Branchinni entered surprisingly into the Estadio General Pablo Rojas to see a game between 12 de Octubre and Olimpia Asunción, in which Santa Cruz scored and was Man of the Match, making Bayern Munich hurry with the transfer process.[14] The following day during a reunion with Olimpia's president, Osvaldo Dominguez Dibb, who wanted the sale to reach US$10 million, said "Pay the sum, or Roque stays at Olimpia", stamping his hand on his desk table.[14] To unblock the situation, Santa Cruz' father, Aproniano, renounced a 30% of the transfer that corresponded him and Santa Cruz joined Bayern Munich without obstacles.[14]
Santa Cruz had scored two goals in five Copa Libertadores appearances and would not take part in his club's last group stage fixture, a 4–0 away defeat against Corinthians on 9 April, due to his participation for Paraguay U20 at the FIFA World Youth Championship, which was disputed at the same time.
Santa Cruz played in his last Superclásico against Cerro Porteño in a 1–0 home victory during the Apertura on 30 May. Santa Cruz also played in his last competitive match for Olimpia Asunción a 1–0 win against Colegiales, on 6 June.[20] The first contacts with Bayern Munich were via telephone and the US$20 million that the Olimpia Asunción president wanted for the transfer was considered by Bayern Munich a very elevated cost.[14] His involvement with Paraguay's national teams, the striker was awarded with the Paraguayan Footballer of the Year award in ,[21] and Olimpia club president Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb had assessed Santa Cruz to value from around US$20&#;million, however Santa Cruz was eventually sold to Bayern Munich for US$7&#;million, the transfer fee becoming the record transfer in Paraguayan football.[6] He later revealed that he had the chance to join Real Madrid before he eventually signed with Bayern in [22]
Santa Cruz confessed that his teammates and himself had been mis-treated by Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb after bad performances from the first-team where the players' salaries were not deposited into their bank accounts in order for the players to personally collect it in person from the president and would be threatened by guns and knives.
"I remember that we once lost an important regional derby. The president entered the sleeping room where we all spent the night ahead of games and unloaded his gun in the ceiling. That wasn't all though. When a player had put in a bad performance, Osvaldo just strolled up to his car and urinated inside it while the player was standing right next to him.
The president always wanted us to come up to him to pick up our monthly wages. If you hadn't played well that month, he stood up and asked 'What is it you want?' while tapping a machine gun on his desk. That always prompted players to wait for their money until they had put in some better performances again."[23][24][25]
Bayern Munich
– season
Santa Cruz debuted for Bayern Munich in the –00 Bundesliga season in a 2–0 loss against Bayer Leverkusen on 22 August [26] Six days later, he scored his first league goal in the 40th minute of a 1–0 win against SpVgg Unterhaching on 28 August.[27] He made his first appearance in the – UEFA Champions League on 15 September in a 2–1 victory over PSV.
His first goal in the Champions League came on his fifth appearance in the competition as Bayern lost 2–1 against PSV, as was substituted onto the field on 26 minutes for Paulo Sérgio and scored with a right-footed shot on 51 minutes. He ended the season with five goals in 28 league appearances as Bayern were crowned champions of the – Bundesliga season.
Santa Cruz had also made consecutive Champions League appearances until the semi-final stages where Bayern Munich were knocked out by Real Madrid. On 6 May , he was substituted onto the field on 73 minutes for Carsten Jancker during the – DFB-Pokal final as Bayern Munich beat Werder Bremen 3–0.[29] Santa Cruz finished the season with nine goals in 48 matches.[30]
–01 season
Prior to the start of the –01 Bundesliga season, Santa Cruz scored in a semi-final 4–1 win against 1.
FC Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Ligapokal on 30 July.[31] During the final, he was substituted off the field for Carsten Jancker after just 46 minutes as Bayern Munich defeated Hertha BSC 5–1 on 1 August.[32] Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the season, eight minutes after being substituted on for Alexander Zickler on the 11th minute, in a 3–0 away win to VfL Bochum on 19 August.[33] On 19 September, in his first appearance of the –01 Champions League, he was substituted onto the field after 46 minutes and then substituted off the field after 73 minutes.[34] Four days later, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 away victory to 1.
FC Köln on 23 September.[35] After suffering from an injury, he returned to action on 17 December to score the first goal of the game after 15 minutes in a 3–1 away win to Hertha BSC, he played 89 minutes of the match before being substituted off.[36] He then missed the following nine games, where on his return he scored Bayern Munich's first goal after six minutes of the game in a 1–1 draw to Borussia Dortmund on 7 April.[37] He missed a large amount of the Champions League, he made his return where he was brought onto the field for Giovane Élber on 65 minutes in the second-leg quarter-final 2–1 win against Manchester United on 18 April.[38] Due to injuries he was reduced to only 19 league appearances for the season, having scored five goals, as Bayern Munich claimed both the Bundesliga and the UEFA Champions League titles, where he was an un-used substitute during the final on 23 May.[39] Santa Cruz finished the season with six goals in 28 matches.[40]
–02 season
Having already been overlooked by Bayern for striker Giovane Élber, the signing of striker Claudio Pizarro for the –02 Bundesliga season would also limit his appearances, as Santa Cruz would regularly be substituted on to replace Pizarro or Élber.
On 8 September, he scored his first goal of the –02 season in round five, the second goal in a 2–0 away win to Borussia Dortmund.
Roque santa cruz biography sample Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (locally [ˈroke ˈlwis santa ˈkɾus kanˈteɾo]; born 16 August ) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paraguayan Primera División club Libertad.He played 79 minutes of the game before being substituted.[41] On 23 October, he scored a brace in a 3–1 home win against Feyenoord during a –02 Champions League group stage fixture as Bayern finished on top of Group H.[42] He would be in the starting XI for the following two matches, where the second game saw him replaced after 42 minutes of the first half due to an injury.
On 27 November, Bayern Munich defeated Boca Juniors 1–0 in the Intercontinental Cup, though he was not included in the squad. He returned to the first-team in a 5–1 away loss against Schalke 04 on 26 January, where he played the full 90 minutes.[43] During the second group stage phase of the Champions League, he headed in a goal in the 81st minute from a Bixente Lizarazu cross in a 1–0 win against Boavista on 26 February.[44] Bayern Munich were knocked out in the quarter-finals to Real Madrid as Santa Cruz made ten appearances in the competition.
Santa Cruz finished the season with nine goals in 38 matches.[45]
–03 season
Santa Cruz made his first appearance of the –03 season on matchday 9 in a 1–0 away win against Hansa Rostock, where he was substituted on to the field for Claudio Pizarro in the 76th minute.[46] The striker scored his first goal of the –03 Champions League in a 2–1 loss against Deportivo La Coruna on 29 October; he was substituted onto the field for Hasan Salihamidžić in the 46th minute and scored in the 77th minute.[47] Bayern, however, finished bottom of their group with just two points.
His first goal of the –03 season came in a 2–1 home win against Borussia Dortmund on 9 November.[48] One week later, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against VfL Wolfsburg on 16 November.[49] In the following match, he scored Bayern Munich's second goal in a 2–0 win against 1.
FC Kaiserslautern on 23 November.[50] This was the first time that he had scored a goal in three consecutive games for Bayern Munich. Two weeks later, he scored a brace in a 3–0 away victory to VfB Stuttgart on 7 December.[51] Due to injury, the Paraguayan was reduced to only 14 league appearances for the –03 season as Bayern Munich finished on top of the –03 Bundesliga table with 75 points.
Bayern Munich defeated 1. FC Kaiserslautern 3–1 to claim the –03 DFB-Pokal on 31 May, Santa Cruz was not included in the squad. Santa Cruz finished the season with eight goals in 19 matches.[52]
–04 season
Giovane Élber transferred to Lyon, but Bayern Munich signed Dutch striker Roy Makaay which provided more competition between Santa Cruz and Claudio Pizarro for the –04 Bundesliga season.
He made his first appearance of the –04 in round five in a 3–2 loss to VfL Wolfsburg on 13 September [53] One week later, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw against Bayer Leverkusen on 20 September [54] Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the –04 UEFA Champions League in a 1–1 draw against Anderlecht on 30 September.
Bayern Munich reached the knock-out stages where they were eliminated against Real Madrid. He had made 29 league appearances, having surpassed the number of appearances he made during his first-season before facing injury. Bayern Munich eventually finished second of the Bundesliga table with 68 points, six points shy of Werder Bremen.
Roque santa cruz photos Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero better known as Roque Santa Cruz is a Paraguayan footballer who currently plays as a striker for Primera Division club Olimpia Asuncion. He played the majority of his career with the German club Bayern Munich.Santa Cruz finished the season with nine goals in 41 matches.[55]
–05 season
Prior to the start of the –05 season, Santa Cruz played a full minute in Bayern Munich's 3–2 DFB-Ligapokal final win against Werder Bremen on 2 August.[56] His first appearance of the –05 season came in round 1 in a 2–0 away win against Hamburger SV, he was replaced by Mehmet Scholl in the 60th minute.[57] He featured in the following two matches, although due to an injury sustained, he made his fourth and final league appearance for the –05 season on matchday 34 in a 3–1 away win against VfB Stuttgart on 21 May ; he was substituted onto the field for Bastian Schweinsteiger in the 77th minute.[58] He did not participate in the –05 Champions League, where Bayern Munich were eliminated by Chelsea during the quarter-final stages.
Bayern were crowned champions of the –05 Bundesliga season with 77 points, and qualified for the –06 Champions League. The club also claimed the –05 DFB-Pokal in a 2–1 win against Schalke 04 on 28 May , although Santa Cruz did not take part in the match, where in his absence was striker Paolo Guerrero. Upon Santa Cruz's return from injury, he played the full 90 minutes of Bayern's 2–1 DFL-Ligapokal semi-final defeat against VfB Stuttgart on 26 July.[59] Santa Cruz finished the season with five goals in seven matches for the first team and two goals in five matches for the reserve team.[60]
–06 season
Santa Cruz started in Bayern Munich's 3–0 home win against Borussia Mönchengladbach on the open day of the –06 season on 5 August.[61] He first appeared in the –06 Champions League in a 1–0 home win against Club Brugge on 27 September, where he was substituted onto the field for Paolo Guerrero in the 72nd minute.[62] He would make just one more appearance in the competition, as Bayern Munich were eliminated by Milan at the round of He scored his first goal of the season on matchday 8 in a 2–0 home win against VfL Wolfsburg on 1 October.[63] In the following match, he scored after 19 minutes in a 1–1 away draw against Schalke 04 on 15 October.[64] In Bayern's 4–0 win against MSV Duisburg one week later, on 22 October, he scored his side's third goal in the 59th minute.[65] He encountered an injury which reduced him to just 13 Bundesliga appearances for the season.
During this period of injury recovery, he spent some time with Bayern Munich II in the Regionalliga Süd. He returned to the first-team on matchday 29 in a 3–0 away loss to Werder Bremen on 8 April, where he was substituted onto the field for Claudio Pizarro in the 80th minute.[66]
Bayern claimed the –06 DFB-Pokal when they defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 1–0 at the Olympic Stadium on 29 April, however Santa Cruz did not take part in the match.
He scored his fourth and final goal of the –06 season in a 3–1 home win against VfB Stuttgart on 3 May.[67] During the DFL-Ligapokal, he featured in Bayern's 0–0 semi-final draw against Schalke 04 on 2 August, where he was substituted onto the field in the 77th minute for Lukas Podolski. Bayern eventually won the match 4–1 in a penalty shoot-out as he converted his side's third spot kick.[68] Three days later, he played a full 90 minutes of the final where Bayern lost 2–0 against Werder Bremen on 5 August [69] Bayern claimed the –06 Bundesliga and qualified for the –07 Champions League.
Roque santa cruz giselle tavarelli View the biography of Libertad Forward Roque Santa Cruz on ESPN. Includes career history and teams played for.Santa Cruz finished the season with three goals in 19 matches for the first team.[70] He also made an appearance for the reserve team.[70]
–07 season
Santa Cruz made his first appearance in the –07 Champions League in a 4–0 home win against Spartak Moscow on 12 September, where he scored Bayern's second goal with a right-footed shot in the 52nd minute.[71] He scored his first goal of the –07 season in a 3–0 away win against Energie Cottbus on 12 May.[72] he finished the –07 Bundesliga season with two goals in 26 league appearances, as Bayern finished in fourth position with 60 points.
The club had also been eliminated in the third round of the –07 DFB-Pokal. After eight years with Bayern, he stated to the club's director of football, Uli Hoeneß, that he needed a change of scenery and opted for a transfer to Real Betis, he also received offers to go to Italy and England. Bayern asked for an affordable price for him but at the time it was too high for Real Betis and he eventually signed for Blackburn Rovers in July [73][74][75][76] Santa Cruz finished the season with four goals in 38 matches.[77]
Blackburn Rovers
–08 season
Santa Cruz agreed to a four-year deal with Blackburn on 28 July The club agreed to pay Bayern Munich £&#;million for the player, where he was presented with the number nine shirt.[78][79][80] The striker made his debut in the –08 Premier League on the opening day of the season in a 2–1 away win against Middlesbrough on 11 August, where he was substituted onto the field for the injured Benni McCarthy in the 60th minute and after just three touches of the ball scored an equaliser in the 63rd minute.[81][82] Two weeks later, he scored for Blackburn after 16 minutes in a 1–1 draw against Everton on 25 August.[83] He celebrated his 26th birthday and his first full Rovers start when he scored in a 1–0 away first-leg win against MYPA in the –08 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds on 16 August.[84] He scored his first hat-trick for Blackburn in a 5–3 loss to Wigan Athletic on 15 December, Blackburn had been losing 3–0 before he had brought the sides level with his three goals.[85][86] This hat-trick meant that he became the first player in over ten years in English football to score a hat-trick for the losing side, since Dwight Yorke's hat-trick on 30 September for Aston Villa in their 4–3 away loss to Newcastle United.[87]
During the –08 League Cup, he scored a brace in a 3–2 loss against Arsenal.[88] Two weeks later, he scored a brace in a 2–2 draw against Manchester City on 27 December.[89] On 12 January , he was named Premier League Player of the Month for December The Paraguayan scored a 90th minute consolation goal for Blackburn in their 3–1 away loss to Liverpool on 13 April.[90] One week later, he scored in a 1–1 draw against Manchester United on 19 April.[91]
In the following match, he went on to score in a 1–0 victory against Portsmouth and then two goals in a 3–1 win against Derby County which totalled to five goals in four consecutive matches.[92][93] Santa Cruz finished the season with 19 goals in 37 league appearances, finishing as the league's fourth top goal-scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo (31 goals), Fernando Torres (24 goals) and Emmanuel Adebayor (24 goals), as Blackburn claimed seventh spot on the –08 Premier League table with 58 points.
He was also voted as Blackburn's Player of the Season.
–09 season
Following a successful –08 campaign, there was much transfer speculation surrounding Santa Cruz at the start of the –09 Premier League. However, he signed a four-year contract with Blackburn in August to end the speculation.[94] Prior to the start of the –09 season, Blackburn signed Roque's younger brother, Julio, who had arrived from Paraguayan Primera División side Cerro Porteño.
He scored his first goal of the –09 season in round 1 in a 3–2 away victory against Everton on 16 August.[95] His second goal of the season came on 27 September in a 2–1 away win against Newcastle United.[96] During the fourth round of the –09 Football League Cup, he scored in Blackburn's 2–1 win against Sunderland on 12 November, he was substituted onto the field for Andy Haworth in the 62nd minute and scored in the 65th minute.[97][98]
During an away fixture against Portsmouth in December , Santa Cruz's front door was forced open and his house was raided by three men who held his wife, Giselle, at knifepoint to her throat.
His children were forced into a downstairs room while the robbers searched the house upstairs with his wife as she was forced her to hand over thousands of pounds worth of jewellery.[citation needed] Santa Cruz's house was less than a mile from Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant's mansion, which was attacked by ram-raiders the day before.[99][]
On 6 December, he scored in Blackburn's 3–1 loss against Liverpool.[] He became a target for Manchester City following their takeover by the billionaire Abu Dhabi United Group.
In January , they had bids of £12&#;million and £16&#;million rejected by Blackburn, with the club stating it would take £25&#;million for them to even consider selling their star striker. On 2 February , City failed to meet the reported £25&#;million asking price. During the fifth round of the –09 FA Cup, he scored within 90 seconds to give Blackburn the lead in their 2–2 draw against Coventry City on 14 February.[][] He scored his fourth and final goal of the –09 season in a 2–1 away loss against Manchester United on 21 February.[] On 20 April, there were rumours that he was planning to leave Rovers after the –09 season, less than 12 months after signing a new deal with the Premier League club,[] although he denied these rumours, saying that they were "lost in translation".
Blackburn finished on the season in 15th position of the Premier League table with 41 points; Santa Cruz scored just 4 goals in 20 league appearances.
Manchester City
–10 season
On 21 June , it was reported that Santa Cruz was undergoing a medical at Manchester City ahead of a proposed summer transfer worth £&#;million on a four-year deal.[] Confirmation that the deal had been completed was released later that same day.[] The move to Manchester City reunited Santa Cruz with his former manager at Blackburn, Mark Hughes.
Santa Cruz debuted for Manchester City in the –10 Premier League season in a 3–1 home victory against West Ham United on 28 September, where he was substituted onto the field for Shaun Wright-Phillips in the 81st minute.[]
Santa Cruz scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 5–1 League Cup win against Scunthorpe United on 28 October.[][] He scored his first league goals for Manchester City, a brace in a 4–3 home victory against Sunderland on 19 December, a game which proved to be Mark Hughes' last game at the club.[] Santa Cruz's appearances, however, were limited when Roberto Mancini took over as manager, due to a succession of injuries coupled with a lack of form.
He scored his third and final league goal for the –10 season in a 2–1 away victory against Fulham on 21 March.[] Santa Cruz had made only 19 league appearances as Manchester City finished the season in fifth position, where they qualified for the –11 UEFA Europa League.
–11 season
Roberto Mancini continued to leave out Santa Cruz during the –11 season, and he made it clear that he wanted to leave.
Mark Hughes, who by then was manager of Fulham, had insisted on signing him, but a transfer never materialized.[] From September to January , he had made just one league appearance, a 0–0 draw against Birmingham City on 13 November where he had been substituted onto the field for James Milner in the 66th minute.[] He had also made one League Cup appearance in a 2–1 away loss to West Bromwich Albion on 22 September.[] In December, he received a loan offer from Serie A outfit Lazio for the remainder of the season, though it was rejected as he preferred a permanent move away from Eastlands.[]
Loan to Blackburn
On 14 January , Santa Cruz returned to Blackburn on loan for the remainder of the –11 season.[] After Santa Cruz passed his medical, he said, "When Blackburn showed an interest in me, it was very easy to decide," to BBC Radio Lancashire.[] His first game for Blackburn was in a 2–0 away loss against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 15 January, where he was substituted onto the field in the 46th minute for Nikola Kalinić.[] He made one appearance for Blackburn in a 3–1 FA Cup loss against Aston Villa on 29 January.[] He made nine appearances for Blackburn, as they finished in 15th position of the Premier League.
–12 season
Loan to Real Betis
In August , after being linked with moves to Leeds United and Celtic,[] Santa Cruz was loaned to Real Betis for the –12 La Liga season after completing a medical on 27 August.[][] He debuted for Betis in a 1–0 win against Mallorca on 10 September , where he was substituted onto the field in the 75th minute for Jorge Molina.[] He scored his first goals for Betis, a brace, in a 4–3 win against Real Zaragoza on 22 September.[][] He made his debut in the –12 Copa del Rey in a 1–0 way loss against Córdoba on 13 December.[] His third league goal came in a 2–0 away win against Atlético Madrid, where he had been substituted onto the field for Beñat in the 72nd minute and scored his side's second goal in the 90th minute on 18 December.[]
In December, Brazilian Série A outfit Cruzeiro had made a bid for Santa Cruz and had also offered Manchester City their highly rated year-old youngster, Léo Bonatini, as part of the deal.[][] He admitted that he was aware of interest from Cruzeiro, but stated that the challenge of consolidating his club's position in La Liga was more important than moving on to pastures new.[] He scored his first goal of in a 2–0 home victory against Sporting de Gijón on 8 January.[] One week later, he was substituted onto the field for Ireney in the 46th minute at the Camp Nou in a 4–2 loss against Barcelona on 15 January, where he scored in the 52nd minute with a right-footed shot to level the scores at 2–2.[]
Having not scored for over two months, Santa Cruz scored his sixth league goal in a 1–1 home draw against Racing de Santander on 25 March.[] Several days later, it was reported that he had expressed his desire to remain at Betis for the next season, citing his love to the fans and the club.[][][][] On 7 April, he scored his seventh league goal in a 3–1 home win against Villarreal.[] After notching seven league goals in 33 La Liga appearances, he announced his desire to stay with Betis after being deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester City.[]
Transfer speculation
On 17 June , it was reported again that Mark Hughes, at that point managing Queens Park Rangers, was keen on signing Santa Cruz for the –13 season.[] On 6 July , it was reported that he was close to signing with Betis on a permanent deal but had hit problems due to his elevated wage demands.[] On 13 July , it was reported that Argentine Primera División club Newell's Old Boys had expressed their interest in signing him after the club employed former Paraguay national team head coach Gerardo Martino as the first-team manager for the –13 season.
Martino stated that he would be the club's number 9 if they were to sign him. It was also reported that Colón and Santa Cruz's former club Olimpia Asunción were also chasing him.[] On 20 July, it had been reported that Santa Cruz was again linked with a move to QPR after he hinted that he could join up with ex-manager, Hughes.[][][] On 21 July, it was reported that he had admitted that he would prefer to join a team in the north-west of England as he sought an exit from Manchester City.[][] On 31 July , it was reported that Middlesbrough had failed in bid to sign Santa Cruz when it was understood that their offered deal had been swiftly rejected.[]
Santa Cruz had made surprise appearances for Manchester City during the club's pre-season tour and friendlies.
On 31 July , he scored in the 53rd minute of a 2–1 friendly loss against Oldham Athletic when he rounded goalkeeper Alex Cisak with ease and scored after a loose ball fell kindly.[][] On 5 August , he played 73 minutes in the city's 4–0 friendly victory over Limerick.[] On 10 August , it was reported that Werder Bremen had been wheedled to within an inch of making a bid for him.
It was also reported that he had had finally poised to agree deal with Bremen in order to leave Manchester City, and that according to Bremen's club general manager Klaus Allofs, they had been targeting a seasoned striker who can make a difference to their team.[][][][][]
–13 season: Loan to Málaga
On 31 August , Santa Cruz returned to Spain and Andalusia, this time signing for Málaga on a season-long loan.[] Santa Cruz was reunited with Argentine centre back and good friend Martín Demichelis, with whom he had played with at Bayern Munich.[][] His first league appearance for the –13 season came in a 3–1 home victory against Levante on 16 September Wearing the number 24, Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field in the 69th minute for Javier Saviola.[] Two days later, Santa Cruz featured as a second-half substitute in Málaga's 3–0 Champions League home victory against Zenit Saint Petersburg on 18 September.[][] The encounter was his first UEFA Champions League competition return following several seasons, since the –07 edition with Bayern Munich.
On 7 October , Santa Cruz scored his first league goal for Málaga in a 2–1 away defeat against Atlético Madrid.[] On 31 October, he scored a brace in a 4–3 away win against Cacereño in Malaga's first –13 Copa del Rey fixture.[]
He scored his first league double in a 3–2 home victory against Real Madrid on 22 December [][] Santa Cruz had entered the field in the 65th minute of the match for Javier Saviola and netted both goals in the 73rd and 76th minutes of the fixture.
On 13 March , Santa Cruz scored Málaga's second goal in their 2–0 Round of 16 UEFA Champions League home victory against Porto.[][] His goal gave Málaga a 2–1 aggregate scores and sent the club directly into the quarter-finals of the competition, where they would face Borussia Dortmund and be eliminated.
Santa Cruz had totaled eight league goals in 31 La Liga appearances as Málaga concluded in sixth position and qualified for the –14 UEFA Europa League play-off round, however, the club was banned by UEFA from participating due to violations of UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations.
Málaga
–14 season
On 11 July , it was confirmed that Santa Cruz would stay with Málaga on a permanent three-year contract.[] He was issued the number 9 shirt for the –14 La Liga season following the departure of Javier Saviola.
Santa Cruz affirmed that he was happy to be staying at the club and the factor of family stability came into his decision as he was able to leave his children enrolled in the same school.[] Santa Cruz first appearance of the season came in a 1–0 away defeat against Valencia on 17 August []
Two weeks later, Santa Cruz scored his first league goal in a 2–2 away draw against Sevilla on 1 September []
His first appearance in the –14 Copa del Rey was in a 3–3 home draw against Osasuna on 8 December [] Santa Cruz scored his last goal of the –14 La Liga season in a 2–0 home victory against Villarreal on 21 April He scored Málaga's first goal in the sixth minute of the match.[] Santa Cruz concluded the season with six league goals as Málaga avoided relegation by six points.
–15 season
Santa Cruz made his –15 La Liga season debut in a 1–0 home victory against Athletic Bilbao on 23 August, playing in the entire 90 minutes of the fixture.[]
On 17 September , it was announced that Santa Cruz would be one of Málaga's two team captains.[]
On 4 October, Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the –15 season in a 2–1 home victory against Granada.[] He scored a double in a 4–1 home victory against Deportivo de La Coruña on 18 December in the –15 Copa del Rey.[]
Santa Cruz played in his last match for Málaga on 21 December in a 2–1 away victory against Elche.
The player was in the starting line-up and was substituted off of the field in the 51st minute for Nordin Amrabat.[] Concluding the fixture, Málaga club president Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani used his Twitter account in order to say goodbye to the Paraguayan striker, saying, "Thank you very much Roque Santa Cruz. You will always be in our hearts.
I wish you every success."[]
Cruz Azul
On 20 December , it was revealed by Santa Cruz's agent, Aproniano Santa Cruz (his father), that the player would join Mexican club Cruz Azul for the Clausura.[][] It was then confirmed that Santa Cruz would travel to Mexico on 22 December after playing his final league fixture for Malaga the day before,[] that the signing itself would cost around €2&#;million[] and Santa Cruz's agent assured that it would be a two-year contract.[] It was then reported by Paraguayan newspaper Última Hora that Santa Cruz would be highest paid player in the Liga MX, with a salary of more than US$, per month and €2&#;million per year, earning higher than Ronaldinho earned at Querétaro.[][][] Cruz Azul doubled his previous annual salary of €, per year.[] The transfer was officially completed on 29 December []
On 10 January , Santa Cruz debuted for Cruz Azul in the –15 Liga MX season in a 1–0 away victory against Pachuca, being substituted off of the field after 82 minutes for Ismael Valadéz.[] One week after his debut, Santa Cruz was substituted off of the field after just 14 minutes of the first half in a 1–0 home victory against Santos Laguna on 17 January with reports that he had suffered muscle pain in the outer thigh.[][][] It was later reported that he would be sidelined for three weeks.[][]
Upon his return, Santa Cruz scored his first league goal for Cruz Azul in a 2–1 home victory against Tijuana in March [] Three weeks later, he scored a double in a 2–0 home victory against Tigres UANL.
He scored in the fourth minute of the match and then netted a penalty in the 14th minute to defeat the side who eventually finished in first place of the –15 Clausura Championship.[] Before departing Cruz Azul, his last goal was in a 1–0 away victory against UNAM in early May []
Loan to Málaga
On 26 August , Santa Cruz returned to former club Málaga after agreeing to a one-year loan deal.[] On 3 December , he scored in a 2–1 away loss against Mirandés in a Copa del Rey fixture.[] The game was his second since returning from injury and his first appearance in the squad's starting XI.[] On 12 December, Santa Cruz stated that his intention was to retire at Málaga.[]
Santa Cruz scored his first league goal of the season in a 1–1 away draw against Las Palmas on 10 January [] The fixture was his fourth league appearance and the first time he would be in the starting line-up for a league match.[] On 22 May , Málaga-based newspaper Málaga Hoy reported that Santa Cruz was deciding whether to continue playing football or retire.
The player's last appearance for the club had come on 24 April when he played just a few minutes at the Vicente Calderón Stadium against Atlético Madrid.
At the end of the club season, Santa Cruz had been removed from Paraguay's Copa América squad due to a knee problem; his loan with Málaga had concluded; and Mexican club Cruz Azul had communicated that Santa Cruz was not returning for the next season.[] Several days later, one of the directors of Santa Cruz's former club Olimpia, Ricardo Tavarelli (also the player's brother in-law), announced that he had spoken with Santa Cruz in relation to the player's possible return to the club.[]
Olimpia Asunción
On 6 June , Santa Cruz arrived in Paraguay for vacation and was greeted by many fans of Olimpia at the airport.[] He stated to the press that his "wish is to be at Olimpia, it's my house, I left from here".[]
On 8 June, it was officially confirmed that Santa Cruz had returned to the club after 17 years and would join his teammates for pre-season.[][3]
His "second" club debut came after entering the field in the second half of an international match, wearing the shirt number 24,[] against Boca Juniors on 23 June [] His league debut came in a 4–0 victory at home against Deportivo Capiatá on 30 July Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field in the second half for Fredy Bareiro in the 66th minute, assisting Julián Benítez in scoring his side's third goal two minutes later, then ultimately scoring a goal himself in the 90th minute.[][]
The player then missed his side's next two league fixtures, including the Superclásico against Cerro Porteño, and upon returning he scored again in a 4–3 come back victory against Nacional on 20 August.[]
Santa Cruz was labelled 'Roque-Mania' by newspaper Versus, who described the and seasons as when his return to Olimpia Asunción reached its top, following four consecutive domestic titles under the coaching of Daniel Garnero.[]
Upon his departure from the club in , Santa Cruz left Olimpia Asunción as its second-highest scorer behind Mauro Caballero, with 91 goals.[]
Libertad
In September , a transfer for Santa Cruz to Libertad to be able to play the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana was announced, but the transfer attempt failed.[] On 27 December , the year-old Santa Cruz was officially revealed as Club Libertad's signing, announced through Twitter by the club.[][][] His signing was at the wish of Horacio Cartes.[] He joined until 31 December [][] Before he departed Olimpia Asunción, who was in debt with him, Santa Cruz changed part of the debt payment into an investment of bonds.[] Following his signing, Santa Cruz was the subject of criticism by Olimpia Asunción fans.[][] Within the first 24 hours of announcing Santa Cruz as Libertad's signing, he lost thousands of Social Media followers who were Olimpia Asunción fans.[] The transfer was officially complete in January of Paraguay's summer transfer window.[]
On 5 July , aged 40 years and days, he scored after an outstanding solo effort in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16 against Brazilian side Atletico Paranense, thus becoming the oldest-ever player to score in the Copa Libertadores knock-out stage and the third oldest overall behind Óscar Aguirregaray and Zé Roberto.
However, they were knocked-out with an equalizer in stoppage time.[]
On 7 May , aged 42 years, 8 months and 21 days, during an away game against Deportivo Táchira, he scored the equalizer to rescue his team a point and become the second-oldest Copa Libertadores goalscorer.
International career
Since he already debuted in Paraguay's domestic league, national team coach Paulo César Carpegiani contemplated taking a then year-old Santa Cruz to the FIFA World Cup in France.[] In , Santa Cruz represented Paraguay's under team before receiving a call up to the senior team when he made his debut aged 17 in a friendly match against Mexico on 28 April [] Santa Cruz scored his first goal for Paraguay in a 3–2 loss against Uruguay on 17 June He had scored a total of ten goals at international level for Paraguay (including U) in Due to his performances and involvement in three major tournaments of that same year ( South American Youth Championship, FIFA World Youth Championship and the Copa América), Santa Cruz was awarded as the Paraguayan Footballer of the Year by Diario ABC Color and the Paraguayan Football Association.
In , Santa Cruz was selected to represent the under at the CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament in Brazil, which saw Paraguay fail to qualify for the Summer Olympics.[][] He appeared in four matches at the tournament, against Argentina,[]Uruguay,[]Bolivia,[