Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero is a Paraguay international football player who currently features for Spanish club Malaga on loan from English and European giants Manchester City.. He is striker and won the UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2001.
Santa Cruz started his professional club career with Olimpia Asuncion in 1998 in Paraguay after progressing through their youth system. In 1999 he was signed by German giants Bayern Munich after he had led Olimpia to the Paraguayan championship in 1998 and 1999, winning the Paraguayan Footballer of the Year award.
Santa Cruz played for Bayern until 2007 and won hosts of German league titles and German Cups as well as the UEFA Champions League in 2001. But he was mostly plagued by injuries in his long tenure at Bayern and scored 31 goals in 156 league matches.
| Team |
Club Libertad
|
| Position | Forward |
| Height / weight | 1.93 m / 80 kg |
| Born | 16 Aug 1981 |
| Nationality |
Paraguay
|
| Number | 24 |
| Team History | |
|
Club Libertad
|
2022 - present |
|
Club Deportivo Olimpia
|
2016 - 2021 |
Malaga
|
2015 - 2016 (loan) |
| Cruz Azul | 2015 - 2016 |
|
Malaga
|
2013 - 2014 |
|
Malaga
|
2012 - 2013 (loan) |
Man City
|
2009 - 2013 |
Real Betis
|
2011 - 2012 (loan) |
Blackburn Rovers
|
2011 (loan) |
|
Blackburn Rovers
|
2007 - 2009 |
Bayern
|
1999 - 2007 |
|
Kleine Bayern (little Bayern)
|
2005 - 2006 |
|
Club Deportivo Olimpia
|
1997 - 1999 |
In the summer of 2007, Santa Cruz was signed by Blackburn Roves for 3.5 million pounds on a four-year deal. He was quite a hit in the 2007-2008 season in the Premier League, scoring 19 goals in 36 matches. In 2009 he joined Manchester City but has failed to achieve success at Eastlands. He has since played on loan for Blackburn in 2011, Real Betis in 2011-12 and was farmed out to Malaga on loan for the 2012-13 campaign.
Santa Cruz made his international debut for Paraguay in 1999 and has played over 85 matches for his nation, scoring more than 20 goals. He featured for his nation at the 2006 Germany World Cup.
