Roque Santa Cruz
Encyclopedia
Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (born 16 August 1981) is a Paraguay
an footballer currently playing as a striker for La Liga
club Real Betis
on loan from Manchester City
and the Paraguay national football team
.
Santa Cruz started his career with Olimpia Asunción
, progressing through their youth system
to the first-team squad where he made his debut at the age of 16 in 1997. He finished his career with the club having scored 13 goals in 24 Primera División appearances where Olimpia claimed the 1998
and 1999
Primera División titles. Santa Cruz scored three goals in four appearances for Paraguay at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
before debuting for the Paraguayan national team at the 1999 Copa América, where he scored three goals in four appearances. He immediately joined Bundesliga
club Bayern Munich in August 1999 for a fee of €5million where he scored five goals in 19 league appearances in his first season. He faced a series of injuries and heavey competition beetwen team mates Élber Giovane, Roy Makaay
and Claudio Pizarro
which limited his impact and restricted his appearances for the club.
He was part of the successful team for Bayern, winning numerous Bundesliga
, DFB-Pokal
and DFB-Ligapokal
titles. He also won the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League and the 2001 Intercontinental Cup
. He left Bayern Munich in July 2007 to join Blackburn Rovers for a transfer fee of €5million where he scored 19 goals in the 2007–08 Premier League season. In June 2009, he joined Manchester City for a fee of £17.5 million on a four-year deal. Since his transfer, he was loaned out to Blackburn Rovers and Real Betis
. Holder of a Spanish
passport, Santa Cruz is eligible for unrestricted selection in all European Union
-based sides.
Santa Cruz is currently the joint all-time leading goal scorer, with José Saturnino Cardozo, of the Paraguayan national team's history. He represented the national team at the 2002
, 2006
and 2010
FIFA World Cup
tournaments, he also participated at the 1999 Copa América, 2007 Copa América and the 2011 Copa América
, where Paraguay finished runners-up.
at the age of nine, where he became the top scorer during several seasons. Olimpia's first-team coach, Luis Cubilla
, invited Santa Cruz to train with the team aged 15. Santa Cruz made his first appearance in the Primera División
in 1997 at the age of 16. During the first-leg 1998 Copa Mercosur quarter-final match against Vélez Sársfield
, Santa Cruz scored in Olimpia's 4–3 win on 27 October. Santa Cruz then scored a double in the first-team as Olimpia claimed a 2–1 victory in the second-leg on 4 November. All three goals were scored against his international teammate Jose Chilavert. He scored 3 goals in 9 league appearances in 1998 season
as Olimpia were crowned champions of the Primera División. Olimpia had also reached the knock-out stages of the 1998 Copa Libertadores where they were eliminated by Colón de Santa Fe
. Santa Cruz had scored 10 goals in 14 games in the 1999 season
as Olimpia again claimed the Primera División. Santa Cruz was awarded with the Paraguayan Footballer of the Year
award in 1999. Olimpia's president Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb
, had assessed Santa Cruz to value from around US$20 million due to his involvement in Paraguay's national teams but was eventually sold to Germany's
Bayern Munich for US$7 million. 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, he just strolled up to their car and urinated inside it while they were 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."
Santa Cruz debuted for Bayern Munich in the 1999–00 Bundesliga season in a 2–0 loss against Bayer Leverkusen
on 22 August 1999. Six days later he scored his first league goal in the 40th minute of a 1–0 win against SpVgg Unterhaching
on 28 August. He made his first appearance in the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League on 15 September in a 2–1 victory over PSV Eindhoven. His first goal in the Champions League came on his fifth appearance in the competition as Bayern Munich lost 2–1 against PSV Eindhoven, 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 Munich were crowned champions of the 1999–00 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 2000, Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field on 73 minutes for Carsten Jancker
during the 1999–2000 DFB-Pokal final as Bayern Munich beat SV Werder Bremen
3–0.
in the 2000 DFB-Ligapokal
on 30 July. 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. 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. On 19 September, in his first appearance of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, he was substituted onto the field after 46 minutes and then substituted off the field after 73 minutes. Four days later, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 away victory to 1. FC Köln
on 23 September. After suffering from an injury, Santa Cruz 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. Santa Cruz 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. He missed a large amount of the Champions League, he made his return where he was brought onto the field for Élber Giovane on 65 minutes in the second-leg quarter-final 2–1 win against Manchester United on 18 April. Due to injuries Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz was an un-used substitute during the final
on 23 May.
for the 2001–02 Bundesliga season would also limit his appearances as Santa Cruz would regularly be substituted on to replace Pizarro or Élber. On 8 September, Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the 2001–02 season in round five, the second goal in a 2–0 away win to Borussia Dortmund
. He played 79 minutes of the game before being substituted. On 23 October, Santa Cruz scored a double in a 3–1 home win against Feyenoord during a 2001–02 UEFA Champions League group stage
fixture as Bayern finished on top of Group H. Santa Cruz would be in the starting-eleven 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 2001 Intercontinental Cup
, Santa Cruz however 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 a full 90 minutes. During the second group stage phase of the Champions League Santa Cruz headed in a goal in the 81st minute from a Bixente Lizarazu
cross in a 1–0 win against Boavista on 26 February. Bayern Munich were knocked out in the quarter-finals to Real Madrid as Santa Cruz made ten appearances in the competition.
in the 76th minute. Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League in a 2–1 loss against on 29 October, Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field for Hasan Salihamidžić
in the 46th minute and scored in the 77th minute. Bayern Munich, however, finished bottom of their group with just two points. His first goal of the 2002–03 season came in a 2–1 home win against Borussia Dortmund
on 9 November. One week later, Santa Cruz scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against VfL Wolfsburg
on 16 November. In the following match, Santa Cruz scored Bayern Munich's second goal in a 2–0 win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern
on 23 November. This was the first time that Santa Cruz had scored a goal in three consecutive games for Bayern Munich. Two weeks later, he scored a double in a 3–0 away victory to VfB Stuttgart
on 7 December. Due to injury Santa Cruz was reduced to only 14 league appearances for the 2002–03 season as Bayern Munich finished on top of the 2002–03 Fußball-Bundesliga table with 75 points. Bayern Munich defeated 1. FC Kaiserslautern
3–1 to claim the 2002–03 DFB-Pokal on 31 May, Santa Cruz was not included in the squad.
, but Bayern Munich signed Dutch striker Roy Makaay
which provided more competition between Santa Cruz and Claudio Pizarro
for the 2003–04 Bundesliga season. Santa Cruz made his first appearance of the 2003–04 in round five in a 3–2 loss to VfL Wolfsburg
on 13 September 2003. One week later, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw against Bayer Leverkusen
on 20 September 2003. Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the 2003–04 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
. Santa Cruz had made 29 league appearances, having surpassed the amount 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
.
final win against Werder Bremen on 2 August. His first appearance of the 2004–05 season came in round 1 in a 2–0 away win against Hamburger SV
, Santa Cruz was replaced by Mehmet Scholl
in the 60th minute. He featured in the following two matches, however due to injury Santa Cruz made his fourth and final league appearance for the 2004–05 season in round 34 in a 3–1 away win against VfB Stuttgart
on 21 May 2005, Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field for Bastian Schweinsteiger
in the 77th minute. Santa Cruz did not participate in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, where Bayern Munich were eliminated by Chelsea
during the quarter-final stages. Bayern Munich were crowned champions of the 2004–05 Fußball-Bundesliga season with 77 points, and qualified for the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League. Bayern Munich claimed the 2004–05 DFB-Pokal in a 2–1 win against FC Schalke 04
on 28 May 2005, Santa Cruz did not take part in the match where during his absence he had been replaced by striker José Paolo Guerrero
. Upon his return from injury, Santa Cruz played a full 90 minute of Bayern Munich's 2–1 2005 DFL-Ligapokal
semi-final defeat against VfB Stuttgart
on 26 July.
on the open day of the 2005–06 season on 5 August. Santa Cruz first appeared in the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League in a 1–0 home win against Club Brugge KV on 27 September, where he was substituted onto the field for Paolo Guerrero in the 72nd minute. Santa Cruz would make just one more appearance in the competition, as Bayern Munich were eliminated by A.C. Milan
at the round of 16. Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the season in round 8 in a 2–0 home win against VfL Wolfsburg
on 1 October. In the following match, he scored after 19 minutes in Bayern Munich's 1–1 away draw against Schalke 04 on 15 October. In Bayern Munich's 4–0 win against MSV Duisburg
one week later on 22 October, Santa Cruz scored his side's third goal in the 59th minute. He encountered an injury which reduced him to just 13 Bundesliga appearances for the season. During this period of injury recovery, Santa Cruz spent some time with Bayern Munich II in the Regionalliga Süd
. He returned to the first-team in round 29 in a 3–0 away loss to Werder Bremen on 8 April, where Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field for Claudio Pizarro
in the 80th minute. Bayern Munich claimed the 2005–06 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 2005–06 season in a 3–1 home win against VfB Stuttgart
on 3 May. During the 2006 DFL-Ligapokal
, Santa Cruz feaured in Bayern Munich's 0–0 semi-final draw against FC Schalke 04
on 2 August, where he was substited onto the field in the 77th minute for Lukas Podolski
. Bayern Munich eventually won the match 4–1 in a penalty shoot-out as Santa Cruz converted his side's third spot kick. Three days later, Santa Cruz played a full 90 minutes of the final where Bayern Munich lost 2–0 against Werder Bremen on 5 August 2006. Bayern Munich claimed the 2005–06 Fußball-Bundesliga and qualified for the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League.
on 12 September, Santa Cruz scored Bayern Munich's second goal with a right-footed shot in the 52nd minute. He scored his first goal of the 2006–07 season in a 3–0 away win against Energie Cottbus
on 12 May. Santa Cruz finished the 2006–07 Fußball-Bundesliga season with two goals in 26 league appearances, as Bayern Munich finished in fourth position with 60 points. Bayern Munich had also been eliminated in the third round of the 2006–07 DFB-Pokal. After eight years with Bayern Munich, Santa Cruz stated to Bayern'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 Santa Cruz but at the time it was too high for Real Betis and he eventually signed for Blackburn Rovers in July 2007.
Santa Cruz agreed to a four-year deal with Blackburn Rovers
on 28 July 2007. Blackburn agreed to pay Bayern Munich
£3.5 million for the player, he was brought to the club by manager Mark Hughes
, where Santa Cruz was presented with the number nine shirt. Santa Cruz made his debut in the 2007-08 Premier League on the opening day of the season in a 2–1 away win against Middlesbrough
on 11 August, Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field for the injured Benni McCarthy
in the 60th minute and after just three touches of the ball he scored an equaliser in the 63rd minute. Two weeks later, Santa Cruz scored for Blackburn after 16 minutes in a 1–1 draw against Everton
on 25 August. Santa Cruz 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 2007–08 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds on 16 August. Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz had brought the sides level with his three goals. 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 1996 for Aston Villa
in their 4–3 away loss to Newcastle United
. During the 2007–08 Football League Cup, Santa Cruz scored a double in a 3–2 loss against Arsenal
. Two weeks later, Santa Cruz scored a double in a 2–2 draw against Manchester City on 27 December. On 12 January 2008, he was named Premier League "Player of the Month" for December 2007. Santa Cruz scored a 90th minute consulation goal for Blackburn in their 3–1 away loss to Liverpool
on 13 April. One week later, he scored in a 1–1 draw against Manchester United on 19 April. In the following match, Santa Cruz 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. Santa Cruz finished the season with 19 goals in 37 league appearances as Blackburn claimed seventh spot on the 2007–08 Premier League table with 58 points.
. Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season in round 1 in a 3–2 away victory against Everton
on 16 August. His second goal of the season came on 27 September in a 2–1 away win against Newcastle United. During the fourth round of the 2008–09 Football League Cup, Santa Cruz 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. On 6 December, Santa Cruz 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 2009, 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 2009, City failed to meet the reported £25 million asking price. During the fifth round of the 2008–09 FA Cup, Santa Cruz scored within 90 seconds to give Blackburn the lead in their 2–2 draw against Coventry City on 14 February. Santa Cruz scored his fourth and final goal of the 2008–09 season in a 2–1 away loss against Manchester United on 21 February. On 20 April, there were rumours that Santa Cruz was planning to leave Rovers after the 2008–09 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 as Santa Cruz had scored just 4 goals in 20 league appearances.
. He debuted for Manchester City in the 2009–10 Premier League season in a 3–1 home victory against West Ham United on 28 September, where Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field for Shaun Wright-Phillips
in the 81st minute. During a Carling Cup
fixture, Santa Cruz scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 5–1 win against Scunthorpe United on 28 October. He scored his first league goals for Manchester City, a double in a 4–3 home victory against Sunderland
on 19 December, a game which proved to be Mark Hughes
's last game at the club. However his appearances were limited when Roberto Mancini
took over as manager, due to a succession of injuries coupled with a lack of form. Santa Cruz scored his third and final league goal for the 2009–10 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 2010–11 UEFA Europa League.
continued to leave out Santa Cruz during the 2010–11 season
, and Santa Cruz made it clear that he wanted to leave. Mark Hughes
, who by then was manager of Fulham
, had insisted on signing Santa Cruz but a transfer was not established. From September 2010 to January 2011, Santa Cruz had made just one league appearance, which came in a 0–0 draw against Birmingham City on 13 November, where Santa Cruz had been substituted onto the field for James Milner
in the 66th minute. He had also made one Carling Cup
appearance in a 2–1 away loss to West Bromwich Albion on 22 September. In December, Santa Cruz received a loan offer from Serie A
outfit S.S. Lazio
for the remainder of the season, however it was rejected as he preferred a permanent move away from Eastlands.
On 14 January 2011, he returned to Blackburn Rovers on loan for the remainder of the 2010–11
football 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 Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field in the 46th minute for Nikola Kalinić
. He made one appearance for Blackburn in a 3–1 2010–11 FA Cup
loss against Aston Villa on 29 January. Santa Cruz made nine appearances for Blackburn, as they finished in fifteenth position of the Premier League table.
In August 2011, after being linked with moves to Leeds United
, Sunderland
and Celtic
, Santa Cruz was loaned to Real Betis
for the 2011–12 La Liga
season after completing a medical on 27 August. He debuted for Real Betis in a 1–0 win against Mallorca on 10 September 2011, where he was substituted onto the field in the 75th minute for Jorge Molina
. He scored his first goals for Betis, a double, in a 4–3 win against Real Zaragoza
on 22 September.
, where he scored three goals for a surprising Paraguay team. His performance there led to a call-up to the full Paraguay national team
for the Copa América
at the age of 17. Santa Cruz made his senior debut at age 17 for Paraguay against Mexico
in April 1999, he then participated at the 1999 Copa América, leading his national team in scoring with three goals. He also scored a total of seven goals in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup qualification rounds, and appeared in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
, where he scored one goal while helping his team advance to the elimination rounds. Santa Cruz was in doubt for the 2006 World Cup
as he was recovering from a serious knee injury. However, he recovered in time for the start of the tournament and played all three group stage matches for Paraguay. Santa Cruz was not able to score a goal, but he did assist Nelson Cuevas and had a good game in the 2–0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago
. Despite the win, Paraguay failed to qualify to the second round of the tournament. Santa Cruz scored a hat trick
against Colombia
in a 5–0 Paraguayan victory during the Copa América 2007
in Venezuela
. He was one of Paraguay's top scorers (three goals) in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
.
On 9 July 2011, Santa Cruz scored in a 2–2 draw against Brazil in Paraguay's second group stage game at the 2011 Copa América
. His goal brought him to a total of 25 goals for Paraguay making him the joint all-time leading goal scorer, with José Saturnino Cardozo, of the Paraguayan national team's history.
|-
|1999||8||4
|-
|2000||9||2
|-
|2001||4||1
|-
|2002||7||2
|-
|2003||5||1
|-
|2004||4||0
|-
|2005||5||3
|-
|2006||3||0
|-
|2007||12||5
|-
|2008||7||2
|-
|2009||2||0
|-
|2010||13||3
|-
|2011||10||2
|-
!Total||89||25
|}
Bayern Munich
Manchester City
, in 2003. They have a son named Tobias (born 17 December 2003), a daughter named Fiorella (born 11 November 2005) and a son named Benjamin (born 2010). Santa Cruz has a younger brother named Julio who plays for Blackburn Rovers in the reserve squad, second brother named Diego
who was also a professional football player and another brother named Oscar who died in 2005.
In a 2006 FIFA World Cup
edition of German magazine Kicker
magazine, he was voted the sexiest man to be taking part in the tournament. He was also chosen by the German newspaper Die Welt
as the sexiest footballer of the 2006 World Cup. He has appeared on the cover of the German version of Pro Evolution Soccer 6
.
In 2004 Santa Cruz was the subject of the song "Ich Roque" by the German band Sportfreunde Stiller
.
Aproniano Santa Cruz, Roque's father, is also his agent
.
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
an footballer currently playing as a striker for La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
club Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
on loan from Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
and the Paraguay national football team
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
.
Santa Cruz started his career with Olimpia Asunción
Olimpia Asunción
Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División....
, progressing through their youth system
Youth system
Youth system is a sporting terminology used to refer to a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show enough promise, and to fill up squads numbers in some teams...
to the first-team squad where he made his debut at the age of 16 in 1997. He finished his career with the club having scored 13 goals in 24 Primera División appearances where Olimpia claimed the 1998
1998 in Paraguayan football
-Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Apertura champion.-Apertura playoff stage:...
and 1999
1999 in Paraguayan football
-Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Apertura champion.-Apertura playoff stage:...
Primera División titles. Santa Cruz scored three goals in four appearances for Paraguay at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Nigeria between April 3 and April 24, 1999. The 1999 championship was the 12th contested.- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.-Squads:...
before debuting for the Paraguayan national team at the 1999 Copa América, where he scored three goals in four appearances. He immediately joined Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
club Bayern Munich in August 1999 for a fee of €5million where he scored five goals in 19 league appearances in his first season. He faced a series of injuries and heavey competition beetwen team mates Élber Giovane, Roy Makaay
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus "Roy" Antonius Makaay is a retired Dutch footballer. While playing for Bayern Munich he picked up the nickname Das Phantom , for his ability to score out of nowhere.-Career:...
and Claudio Pizarro
Claudio Pizarro
Claudio Miguel Pizarro Bosio is a Peruvian football forward. Pizarro plays for Werder Bremen of the German Bundesliga...
which limited his impact and restricted his appearances for the club.
He was part of the successful team for Bayern, winning numerous Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
, DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
and DFB-Ligapokal
DFB-Ligapokal
The DFB-Ligapokal, or German League Cup, was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous Fußball-Bundesliga season and the winners of the DFB-Pokal in Germany...
titles. He also won the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League and the 2001 Intercontinental Cup
2001 Intercontinental Cup
The 2001 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 27 November 2001 between Bayern Munich, winners of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, and defending champions Boca Juniors, winners of the 2001 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo...
. He left Bayern Munich in July 2007 to join Blackburn Rovers for a transfer fee of €5million where he scored 19 goals in the 2007–08 Premier League season. In June 2009, he joined Manchester City for a fee of £17.5 million on a four-year deal. Since his transfer, he was loaned out to Blackburn Rovers and Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
. Holder of a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
passport, Santa Cruz is eligible for unrestricted selection in all European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
-based sides.
Santa Cruz is currently the joint all-time leading goal scorer, with José Saturnino Cardozo, of the Paraguayan national team's history. He represented the national team at the 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
and 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
tournaments, he also participated at the 1999 Copa América, 2007 Copa América and the 2011 Copa América
2011 Copa América
The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
, where Paraguay finished runners-up.
Olimpia
Santa Cruz joined Olimpia's youth academyYouth system
Youth system is a sporting terminology used to refer to a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show enough promise, and to fill up squads numbers in some teams...
at the age of nine, where he became the top scorer during several seasons. Olimpia's first-team coach, Luis Cubilla
Luís Cubilla
Luis Alberto Cubilla Almeida is a former Uruguayan football player and coach. He had a successful playing career winning 15 major titles...
, invited Santa Cruz to train with the team aged 15. Santa Cruz made his first appearance in the Primera División
1997 in Paraguayan football
-Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. After every draw during this stage the game went on to a penalty kick shootout, awarding two points to the winner of the shootout and one point to the losing team...
in 1997 at the age of 16. During the first-leg 1998 Copa Mercosur quarter-final match against Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...
, Santa Cruz scored in Olimpia's 4–3 win on 27 October. Santa Cruz then scored a double in the first-team as Olimpia claimed a 2–1 victory in the second-leg on 4 November. All three goals were scored against his international teammate Jose Chilavert. He scored 3 goals in 9 league appearances in 1998 season
1998 in Paraguayan football
-Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Apertura champion.-Apertura playoff stage:...
as Olimpia were crowned champions of the Primera División. Olimpia had also reached the knock-out stages of the 1998 Copa Libertadores where they were eliminated by Colón de Santa Fe
Colón de Santa Fe
Club Atlético Colón, commonly referred to as Colón de Santa Fe, is a football team from Santa Fe, Argentina. As of Primera División Argentina 1946 the football squad plays in the highest division of Argentine football, and has done so continuously since 1995-96...
. Santa Cruz had scored 10 goals in 14 games in the 1999 season
1999 in Paraguayan football
-Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Apertura champion.-Apertura playoff stage:...
as Olimpia again claimed the Primera División. Santa Cruz was awarded with the Paraguayan Footballer of the Year
Paraguayan Footballer of the Year
The Paraguayan Footballer of the Year is an award given to the best Paraguayan professional football player every year. The award began officially in 1997 and it is presented by Paraguayan newspaper Diario ABC Color...
award in 1999. Olimpia's president Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb
Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb
Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb is a politician and businessperson.Dibb is mostly known for being the most successful president in the history of Paraguayan football club Olimpia. He served as president for the terms of 1976 to 1991 and from 1995 to 2004...
, had assessed Santa Cruz to value from around US$20 million due to his involvement in Paraguay's national teams but was eventually sold to Germany's
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Bayern Munich for US$7 million. 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, he just strolled up to their car and urinated inside it while they were 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."
1999–00 season
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
on 22 August 1999. Six days later he scored his first league goal in the 40th minute of a 1–0 win against SpVgg Unterhaching
SpVgg Unterhaching
Spielvereinigung Unterhaching is a German sports club in Unterhaching, a semi-rural municipality on the southern outskirts of the Bavarian capital Munich....
on 28 August. He made his first appearance in the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League on 15 September in a 2–1 victory over PSV Eindhoven. His first goal in the Champions League came on his fifth appearance in the competition as Bayern Munich lost 2–1 against PSV Eindhoven, as was substituted onto the field on 26 minutes for Paulo Sérgio
Paulo Sérgio Silvestre do Nascimento
Paulo Sérgio Silvestre do Nascimento , commonly known as Paulo Sérgio is a former Brazilian footballer. Whilst at Bayern Munich he won the Champions League in 2001, despite missing his penalty in the final shootout.-Club career:...
and scored with a right-footed shot on 51 minutes. He ended the season with five goals in 28 league appearances as Bayern Munich were crowned champions of the 1999–00 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
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
. On 6 May 2000, Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field on 73 minutes for Carsten Jancker
Carsten Jancker
Carsten Jancker is a former German professional footballer and current manager.- Career :A striker, Jancker is physically very large for a footballer, standing at . His height and strength have proved to be an advantage when playing as a target man, as displayed during his most successful days at...
during the 1999–2000 DFB-Pokal final as Bayern Munich beat SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
3–0.
2000–01 season
Prior to the start of the 2000–01 Bundesliga season, Santa Cruz scored in a semi-final 4–1 win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
in the 2000 DFB-Ligapokal
2000 DFB-Ligapokal
The 2000 DFB-Ligapokal was the fourth edition of the DFB Liga-Pokal. Bayern Munich won the competition for the fourth consecutive year, beating Hertha BSC 5–1 in the final.-Preliminary round:-----Semi-finals:----- Final :...
on 30 July. During the final, he was substituted off the field for Carsten Jancker
Carsten Jancker
Carsten Jancker is a former German professional footballer and current manager.- Career :A striker, Jancker is physically very large for a footballer, standing at . His height and strength have proved to be an advantage when playing as a target man, as displayed during his most successful days at...
after just 46 minutes as Bayern Munich defeated Hertha BSC 5–1 on 1 August. Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the season, eight minutes after being substituted on for Alexander Zickler
Alexander Zickler
Alexander "Alex" Zickler is a German former footballer who played as a striker, most notably in a twelve year spell with Bayern Munich.-Club career:...
on the 11th minute, in a 3–0 away win to VfL Bochum
VfL Bochum
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum, is a German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Founding to World War II:...
on 19 August. On 19 September, in his first appearance of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, he was substituted onto the field after 46 minutes and then substituted off the field after 73 minutes. Four days later, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 away victory to 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
on 23 September. After suffering from an injury, Santa Cruz 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. Santa Cruz 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
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
on 7 April. He missed a large amount of the Champions League, he made his return where he was brought onto the field for Élber Giovane on 65 minutes in the second-leg quarter-final 2–1 win against Manchester United on 18 April. Due to injuries Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz was an un-used substitute during the final
2001 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2001 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place at San Siro in Milan, Italy, on 23 May 2001, to decide the winner of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League. The match pitted Bayern Munich against Valencia. The match finished in a 1–1 draw, but Bayern clinched their fourth...
on 23 May.
2001–02 season
Having already been over looked by Bayern for striker Élber Giovane, the signing of striker Claudio PizarroClaudio Pizarro
Claudio Miguel Pizarro Bosio is a Peruvian football forward. Pizarro plays for Werder Bremen of the German Bundesliga...
for the 2001–02 Bundesliga season would also limit his appearances as Santa Cruz would regularly be substituted on to replace Pizarro or Élber. On 8 September, Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the 2001–02 season in round five, the second goal in a 2–0 away win to Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
. He played 79 minutes of the game before being substituted. On 23 October, Santa Cruz scored a double in a 3–1 home win against Feyenoord during a 2001–02 UEFA Champions League group stage
2001–02 UEFA Champions League group stage
The group stage of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League was the first stage of the competition proper, following the qualifying phase. 16 winners from the third qualifying round, 10 champions from countries ranked 1–10, and six second-placed teams from countries ranked 1–6 were drawn into eight groups...
fixture as Bayern finished on top of Group H. Santa Cruz would be in the starting-eleven 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
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
1–0 in the 2001 Intercontinental Cup
2001 Intercontinental Cup
The 2001 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 27 November 2001 between Bayern Munich, winners of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, and defending champions Boca Juniors, winners of the 2001 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo...
, Santa Cruz however 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 a full 90 minutes. During the second group stage phase of the Champions League Santa Cruz headed in a goal in the 81st minute from a Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu is a former football left defender who played most notably for Girondins de Bordeaux and Bayern Munich, as well as the French national team.-Football career:...
cross in a 1–0 win against Boavista on 26 February. Bayern Munich were knocked out in the quarter-finals to Real Madrid as Santa Cruz made ten appearances in the competition.
2002–03 season
Santa Cruz made his first appearance of the 2002–03 season in round nine in a 1–0 away win against Hansa Rostock, where he was substituted onto the field for Claudio PizarroClaudio Pizarro
Claudio Miguel Pizarro Bosio is a Peruvian football forward. Pizarro plays for Werder Bremen of the German Bundesliga...
in the 76th minute. Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League in a 2–1 loss against on 29 October, Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field for Hasan Salihamidžić
Hasan Salihamidžic
Hasan Salihamidžić is a Bosnian football midfielder currently playing for VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.-Early life:His father Ahmed and mother Šefika gave him the nickname "Braco" meaning "little brother" in Bosnian since Hasan has an older sister, hence his current nickname "Brazzo". He...
in the 46th minute and scored in the 77th minute. Bayern Munich, however, finished bottom of their group with just two points. His first goal of the 2002–03 season came in a 2–1 home win against Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
on 9 November. One week later, Santa Cruz scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
on 16 November. In the following match, Santa Cruz scored Bayern Munich's second goal in a 2–0 win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
on 23 November. This was the first time that Santa Cruz had scored a goal in three consecutive games for Bayern Munich. Two weeks later, he scored a double in a 3–0 away victory to VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
on 7 December. Due to injury Santa Cruz was reduced to only 14 league appearances for the 2002–03 season as Bayern Munich finished on top of the 2002–03 Fußball-Bundesliga table with 75 points. Bayern Munich defeated 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
3–1 to claim the 2002–03 DFB-Pokal on 31 May, Santa Cruz was not included in the squad.
2003–04 season
Élber Giovane transferred to LyonOlympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
, but Bayern Munich signed Dutch striker Roy Makaay
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus "Roy" Antonius Makaay is a retired Dutch footballer. While playing for Bayern Munich he picked up the nickname Das Phantom , for his ability to score out of nowhere.-Career:...
which provided more competition between Santa Cruz and Claudio Pizarro
Claudio Pizarro
Claudio Miguel Pizarro Bosio is a Peruvian football forward. Pizarro plays for Werder Bremen of the German Bundesliga...
for the 2003–04 Bundesliga season. Santa Cruz made his first appearance of the 2003–04 in round five in a 3–2 loss to VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
on 13 September 2003. One week later, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw against Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
on 20 September 2003. Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League in a 1–1 draw against Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
on 30 September. Bayern Munich reached the knock-out stages where they were eliminated against Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
. Santa Cruz had made 29 league appearances, having surpassed the amount 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
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
.
2004–05 season
Prior to the start of the 2004–05 season, Santa Cruz played a full 90 minute in Bayern Munich's 3–2 2004 DFB-Ligapokal2004 DFB-Ligapokal
The 2004 DFB-Ligapokal was the eighth edition of the DFB Liga-Pokal. Bayern Munich won their fifth title, beating Werder Bremen 3–2 in the final.-Preliminary round:-----Semi-finals:----- Final :...
final win against Werder Bremen on 2 August. His first appearance of the 2004–05 season came in round 1 in a 2–0 away win against Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
, Santa Cruz was replaced by Mehmet Scholl
Mehmet Scholl
Mehmet Scholl is a former German football player with Turkish-German ancestry. He played most of his career as an attacking midfielder for Bayern Munich...
in the 60th minute. He featured in the following two matches, however due to injury Santa Cruz made his fourth and final league appearance for the 2004–05 season in round 34 in a 3–1 away win against VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
on 21 May 2005, Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field for Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bayern Munich and the German national team. A right-footed player, he is capable of playing out wide or in a more central role....
in the 77th minute. Santa Cruz did not participate in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, where Bayern Munich were eliminated by Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
during the quarter-final stages. Bayern Munich were crowned champions of the 2004–05 Fußball-Bundesliga season with 77 points, and qualified for the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League. Bayern Munich claimed the 2004–05 DFB-Pokal in a 2–1 win against FC Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
on 28 May 2005, Santa Cruz did not take part in the match where during his absence he had been replaced by striker José Paolo Guerrero
José Paolo Guerrero
José Paolo Guerrero Gonzales is a Peruvian footballer who plays as a striker for Hamburger SV and Peruvian national team. Known as the best peruvian soccer player today.- Early career :...
. Upon his return from injury, Santa Cruz played a full 90 minute of Bayern Munich's 2–1 2005 DFL-Ligapokal
2005 DFL-Ligapokal
The 2003 DFL-Ligapokal was the seventh edition of the Ligapokal, now under control of the German Football League as opposed to the German Football Association . The competition saw some format changes, with the preliminary round matches being played consecutively in the same stadium, and the final...
semi-final defeat against VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
on 26 July.
2005–06 season
Santa Cruz started in Bayern Munich's 3–0 home win against Borussia MönchengladbachBorussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
on the open day of the 2005–06 season on 5 August. Santa Cruz first appeared in the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League in a 1–0 home win against Club Brugge KV on 27 September, where he was substituted onto the field for Paolo Guerrero in the 72nd minute. Santa Cruz would make just one more appearance in the competition, as Bayern Munich were eliminated by A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
at the round of 16. Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the season in round 8 in a 2–0 home win against VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
on 1 October. In the following match, he scored after 19 minutes in Bayern Munich's 1–1 away draw against Schalke 04 on 15 October. In Bayern Munich's 4–0 win against MSV Duisburg
MSV Duisburg
MSV Duisburg is a German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed "the Zebras" for their traditional striped jerseys, the club was one of the original members of the Bundesliga when it was formed in 1963.-Early years:...
one week later on 22 October, Santa Cruz scored his side's third goal in the 59th minute. He encountered an injury which reduced him to just 13 Bundesliga appearances for the season. During this period of injury recovery, Santa Cruz spent some time with Bayern Munich II in the Regionalliga Süd
Regionalliga Süd
The Regionalliga Süd is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the southern part of Germany...
. He returned to the first-team in round 29 in a 3–0 away loss to Werder Bremen on 8 April, where Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field for Claudio Pizarro
Claudio Pizarro
Claudio Miguel Pizarro Bosio is a Peruvian football forward. Pizarro plays for Werder Bremen of the German Bundesliga...
in the 80th minute. Bayern Munich claimed the 2005–06 DFB-Pokal when they defeated Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
1–0 at the Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Berlin)
The Olympiastadion is a sports stadium in Berlin, Germany. There have been two stadiums on the site: the present facility, and one that is called the Deutsches Stadion which was built for the aborted 1916 Summer Olympics. Both were designed by members of the same family, the first by Otto March...
on 29 April, however Santa Cruz did not take part in the match. He scored his fourth and final goal of the 2005–06 season in a 3–1 home win against VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
on 3 May. During the 2006 DFL-Ligapokal
2006 DFL-Ligapokal
The 2006 DFL-Ligapokal was the tenth edition of the DFL-Ligapokal. Werder Bremen won their first title, beating Bayern Munich 2–0 in the final.-Preliminary round:-----Semi-finals:----- Final :...
, Santa Cruz feaured in Bayern Munich's 0–0 semi-final draw against FC Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
on 2 August, where he was substited onto the field in the 77th minute for Lukas Podolski
Lukas Podolski
Lukas Josef Podolski ; born Łukasz Podolski ) on 4 June 1985 in Gliwice, Poland) is a German footballer who plays as a striker/winger for 1. FC Köln and for the German national team. He joined 1. FC Köln in 1995 where he broke into the first team in 2003 and made 81 appearances for the club before...
. Bayern Munich eventually won the match 4–1 in a penalty shoot-out as Santa Cruz converted his side's third spot kick. Three days later, Santa Cruz played a full 90 minutes of the final where Bayern Munich lost 2–0 against Werder Bremen on 5 August 2006. Bayern Munich claimed the 2005–06 Fußball-Bundesliga and qualified for the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League.
2006–07 season
Santa Cruz made his first appearance in the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League in a 4–0 home win against Spartak MoscowFC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...
on 12 September, Santa Cruz scored Bayern Munich's second goal with a right-footed shot in the 52nd minute. He scored his first goal of the 2006–07 season in a 3–0 away win against Energie Cottbus
Energie Cottbus
FC Energie Cottbus is a German association football club based in Cottbus, Lusatia . It was founded in 1963 as SC Cottbus in what was, at the time, East Germany...
on 12 May. Santa Cruz finished the 2006–07 Fußball-Bundesliga season with two goals in 26 league appearances, as Bayern Munich finished in fourth position with 60 points. Bayern Munich had also been eliminated in the third round of the 2006–07 DFB-Pokal. After eight years with Bayern Munich, Santa Cruz stated to Bayern's director of football, Uli Hoeneß, that he needed a change of scenery and opted for a transfer to Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
, he also received offers to go to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Bayern asked for an affordable price for Santa Cruz but at the time it was too high for Real Betis and he eventually signed for Blackburn Rovers in July 2007.
2007–08 season
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
on 28 July 2007. Blackburn agreed to pay Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
£3.5 million for the player, he was brought to the club by manager Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
, where Santa Cruz was presented with the number nine shirt. Santa Cruz made his debut in the 2007-08 Premier League on the opening day of the season in a 2–1 away win against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
on 11 August, Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field for the injured Benni McCarthy
Benni McCarthy
Benedict Saul "Benni" McCarthy is a South African footballer who is currently contracted to Orlando Pirates in South Africa.McCarthy holds the record of international goals for a South African...
in the 60th minute and after just three touches of the ball he scored an equaliser in the 63rd minute. Two weeks later, Santa Cruz scored for Blackburn after 16 minutes in a 1–1 draw against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
on 25 August. Santa Cruz celebrated his 26th birthday and his first full Rovers start when he scored in a 1–0 away first-leg win against MYPA
MyPa
Myllykosken Pallo –47 is a Finnish football club, based in the industrial town of Myllykoski, part of the city of Kouvola since January 2009. They currently play in the Finnish Premier Division...
in the 2007–08 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds on 16 August. Santa Cruz scored his first hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
for Blackburn in a 5–3 loss to Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
on 15 December, Blackburn had been losing 3–0 before Santa Cruz had brought the sides level with his three goals. 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
Dwight Yorke
Dwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland...
's hat-trick on 30 September 1996 for Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in their 4–3 away loss to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
. During the 2007–08 Football League Cup, Santa Cruz scored a double in a 3–2 loss against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. Two weeks later, Santa Cruz scored a double in a 2–2 draw against Manchester City on 27 December. On 12 January 2008, he was named Premier League "Player of the Month" for December 2007. Santa Cruz scored a 90th minute consulation goal for Blackburn in their 3–1 away loss to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on 13 April. One week later, he scored in a 1–1 draw against Manchester United on 19 April. In the following match, Santa Cruz went on to score in a 1–0 victory against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
and then two goals in a 3–1 win against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
which totalled to five goals in four consecutive matches. Santa Cruz finished the season with 19 goals in 37 league appearances as Blackburn claimed seventh spot on the 2007–08 Premier League table with 58 points.
2008–09 season
Following a successful 2007–08 campaign, there was much transfer speculation surrounding Santa Cruz at the start of the 2008–09 Premier League. However, he signed a four-year contract with Blackburn in August to end the speculation. Prior to the start of the 2008–09 season, Blackburn signed Roque's younger brother, Julio, who had arrived from Paraguayan Primera División side Cerro PorteñoCerro Porteño
Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Barrio Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 28 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football club in Paraguay...
. Santa Cruz scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season in round 1 in a 3–2 away victory against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
on 16 August. His second goal of the season came on 27 September in a 2–1 away win against Newcastle United. During the fourth round of the 2008–09 Football League Cup, Santa Cruz scored in Blackburn's 2–1 win against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
on 12 November, he was substituted onto the field for Andy Haworth
Andy Haworth
Andrew Alan David "Andy" Haworth is an English footballer who plays for Bury as a winger.Haworth progressed through the Blackburn Rovers youth system and made his first team debut in 2008...
in the 62nd minute and scored in the 65th minute. On 6 December, Santa Cruz scored in Blackburn's 3–1 loss against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. He became a target for Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
following their takeover by the billionaire Abu Dhabi United Group
Abu Dhabi United Group
The Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment is a United Arab Emirates private equity company owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family and Minister of Presidential Affairs for the UAE...
. In January 2009, 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 2009, City failed to meet the reported £25 million asking price. During the fifth round of the 2008–09 FA Cup, Santa Cruz scored within 90 seconds to give Blackburn the lead in their 2–2 draw against Coventry City on 14 February. Santa Cruz scored his fourth and final goal of the 2008–09 season in a 2–1 away loss against Manchester United on 21 February. On 20 April, there were rumours that Santa Cruz was planning to leave Rovers after the 2008–09 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
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
in 15th position of the Premier League table with 41 points as Santa Cruz had scored just 4 goals in 20 league appearances.
2009–10 season
On 21 June 2009, it was reported that Santa Cruz was undergoing a medical at Manchester City ahead of a proposed summer transfer worth £17.5 million on a four-year deal. Confirmation that the deal had been completed was released later that same day. Santa Cruz was brought to the Manchester City, again by Mark HughesMark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
. He debuted for Manchester City in the 2009–10 Premier League season in a 3–1 home victory against West Ham United on 28 September, where Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field for Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips is an English footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers and the England national team. He is the adopted son of former England international, Ian Wright and the half-brother of fellow professional football player Bradley Wright-Phillips...
in the 81st minute. During a Carling Cup
2009–10 Football League Cup
The 2009–10 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 50th season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
fixture, Santa Cruz scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 5–1 win against Scunthorpe United on 28 October. He scored his first league goals for Manchester City, a double in a 4–3 home victory against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
on 19 December, a game which proved to be Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
's last game at the club. However his appearances were limited when Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa...
took over as manager, due to a succession of injuries coupled with a lack of form. Santa Cruz scored his third and final league goal for the 2009–10 season in a 2–1 away victory against Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
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 2010–11 UEFA Europa League.
2010–11 season
Roberto ManciniRoberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa...
continued to leave out Santa Cruz during the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...
, and Santa Cruz made it clear that he wanted to leave. Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
, who by then was manager of Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, had insisted on signing Santa Cruz but a transfer was not established. From September 2010 to January 2011, Santa Cruz had made just one league appearance, which came in a 0–0 draw against Birmingham City on 13 November, where Santa Cruz had been substituted onto the field for James Milner
James Milner
Milner was described as a "first class" student at his school; he left with 11 GCSEs and an award for his performance in physical education. Milner also showed talent in cricket, sprinting and long-distance running...
in the 66th minute. He had also made one Carling Cup
2010–11 Football League Cup
The 2010–11 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
appearance in a 2–1 away loss to West Bromwich Albion on 22 September. In December, Santa Cruz received a loan offer from Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
outfit S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
for the remainder of the season, however it was rejected as he preferred a permanent move away from Eastlands.
Loan to Blackburn
On 14 January 2011, he returned to Blackburn Rovers on loan for the remainder of the 2010–11
2010–11 in English football
The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May...
football 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
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge could be* Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England** The Battle of Stamford Bridge* Stamford Bridge , in London** by metonymy, Chelsea F.C., football club based in the stadium...
on 15 January, where Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field in the 46th minute for Nikola Kalinić
Nikola Kalinic
Nikola Kalinić is a Croatian footballer who plays for Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the Ukrainian Premier League.Croatia manager Slaven Bilić described him as "the future of Croatian football".-Early career:...
. He made one appearance for Blackburn in a 3–1 2010–11 FA Cup
2010–11 FA Cup
The 2010–11 FA Cup was the 130th season of the world's oldest association football knock-out competition; The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short...
loss against Aston Villa on 29 January. Santa Cruz made nine appearances for Blackburn, as they finished in fifteenth position of the Premier League table.
Loan to Real Betis
In August 2011, after being linked with moves to Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
and Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, Santa Cruz was loaned to Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
for the 2011–12 La Liga
2011–12 La Liga
The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012...
season after completing a medical on 27 August. He debuted for Real Betis in a 1–0 win against Mallorca on 10 September 2011, where he was substituted onto the field in the 75th minute for Jorge Molina
Jorge Molina Vidal
Jorge Molina Vidal is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Real Betis as a centre forward.-Football career:...
. He scored his first goals for Betis, a double, in a 4–3 win against Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
on 22 September.
International career
Santa Cruz made a name for himself at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Nigeria between April 3 and April 24, 1999. The 1999 championship was the 12th contested.- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.-Squads:...
, where he scored three goals for a surprising Paraguay team. His performance there led to a call-up to the full Paraguay national team
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
for the Copa América
Copa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
at the age of 17. Santa Cruz made his senior debut at age 17 for Paraguay against Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
in April 1999, he then participated at the 1999 Copa América, leading his national team in scoring with three goals. He also scored a total of seven goals in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup qualification rounds, and appeared in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, where he scored one goal while helping his team advance to the elimination rounds. Santa Cruz was in doubt for the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
as he was recovering from a serious knee injury. However, he recovered in time for the start of the tournament and played all three group stage matches for Paraguay. Santa Cruz was not able to score a goal, but he did assist Nelson Cuevas and had a good game in the 2–0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
. Despite the win, Paraguay failed to qualify to the second round of the tournament. Santa Cruz scored a hat trick
Hat Trick
Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...
against Colombia
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
in a 5–0 Paraguayan victory during the Copa América 2007
Copa América 2007
The 2007 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, known simply as the 2007 Copa América or 2007 Copa América Venezuela, was the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams...
in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. He was one of Paraguay's top scorers (three goals) in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
The South American zone of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification saw 10 teams competing for places in the finals which were held in South Africa. The format is identical to that used for the previous three World Cup qualification tournaments held by CONMEBOL...
.
On 9 July 2011, Santa Cruz scored in a 2–2 draw against Brazil in Paraguay's second group stage game at the 2011 Copa América
2011 Copa América
The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
. His goal brought him to a total of 25 goals for Paraguay making him the joint all-time leading goal scorer, with José Saturnino Cardozo, of the Paraguayan national team's history.
Career statistics
- (Correct as of 10.39, 21 November 2011)
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Olimpia | 1997 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 9 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | 3 | – | |
| 1999 | 14 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14 | 10 | – | |
| Total | 23 | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 24 | 13 | – | |
| Bayern Munich FC Bayern Munich FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups.... |
1999–2000 | 28 | 5 | – | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 32 | 7 | – |
| 2000–01 | 19 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 19 | 5 | – | |
| 2001–02 | 22 | 5 | – | – | – | – | 10 | 3 | – | 32 | 8 | – | |
| 2002–03 | 14 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14 | 5 | – | |
| 2003–04 | 29 | 5 | – | – | – | – | 8 | 1 | – | 37 | 6 | – | |
| 2004–05 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2005–06 | 13 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | – | 15 | 4 | – | |
| 2006–07 | 26 | 2 | – | 2 | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 35 | 3 | – | |
| Total | 155 | 31 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 27 | 5 | – | 188 | 38 | – | |
| Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.... |
2007–08 | 37 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 23 | 8 |
| 2008–09 2008–09 in English football The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while... |
20 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 6 | 2 | |
| Total | 57 | 23 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 70 | 29 | 10 | |
| Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894... |
2009–10 2009–10 in English football The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League... |
19 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 2010–11 2010–11 in English football The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | 0 | |
| Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.... (loan) |
2010–11 2010–11 in English football The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May... |
9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | |
| Real Betis Real Betis Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín.... (loan) |
2011–12 2011–12 in Spanish football The 2011–12 season is the 108th season of competitive football in Spain.The season began on 3 August 2011 for the Copa Federación, 19 August for Tercera División, 20 August for Segunda División B, 26 August for Segunda División, 27 August for La Liga and 31 August 2011 for the Copa del Rey... |
9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | |
| Career total | 273 | 74 | 9 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 326 | 86 | 10 | |
| National team | Season | Apps | Goals | Yellow cards | Red cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paraguay U20 Paraguay national under-20 football team Paraguay national under-20 football team represents Paraguay in international football competitions such as FIFA U-20 World Cup and South American Youth Championship.-Overview:... |
1999 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
|-
|1999||8||4
|-
|2000||9||2
|-
|2001||4||1
|-
|2002||7||2
|-
|2003||5||1
|-
|2004||4||0
|-
|2005||5||3
|-
|2006||3||0
|-
|2007||12||5
|-
|2008||7||2
|-
|2009||2||0
|-
|2010||13||3
|-
|2011||10||2
|-
!Total||89||25
|}
Under–20
- Scores and results list Paraguay U20's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 8 January 1999 Estadio San Martín Estadio San MartínEstadio Libertador General San Martín is the football venue of the Atlético Club San Martín of the Mendoza Province in Argentina.Inaugurated on April 1, 1956, it accommodates 12,000 spectators. Its field measures 70m x 100m....
, TandilTandil-Place name:The name of the city comes from the Mapuche words tan , and lil . It is probably a reference to the Piedra Movediza , a large boulder which stood seemingly miraculously balanced on the edge of a rocky foothill. The Moving Stone toppled on February 29, 1912, and split into two pieces at...
1–1 2–1 1999 South American Youth Championship 2. 10 January 1999 Estadio San Martín, Tandil 1–0 1–1 1999 South American Youth Championship 3. 21 January 1999 Estadio José María Minella Estadio José Maria MinellaThe Estadio José María Minella is a stadium in Mar del Plata, Argentina.The stadium was built for the 1978 World Cup. It has capacity for 35,354 spectators, although some of the capacity is standing only, like many Argentine stadiums....
, Mar del PlataMar del PlataMar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
3–1 3–2 1999 South American Youth Championship 4. 7 April 1999 National Stadium, Lagos LagosLagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
1–0 3–1 1999 World Youth Championship 5. 14 April 1999 National Stadium, Lagos 1–2 2–2 (9–10 penalties) 1999 World Youth Championship 6. 2–2
Senior team
- Scores and results list Paraguay's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 17 June 1999 Estadio Antonio Oddone Sarubbi Estadio Antonio Oddone SarubbiTte. Cnel. Antonio Oddone Sarubbi, is a football stadium in the city of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. It is the home venue of Club Atletico 3 de Febrero and is named after a former military figure....
, Ciudad del EsteCiudad del EsteCiudad del Este is the second largest city in Paraguay and capital of Alto Paraná department, located at the Rio Paraná....
1–3 2–3 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...2. 2 July 1999 Estadio Defensores del Chaco Estadio Defensores del ChacoEstadio Defensores del Chaco is a multi-purpose stadium in Asunción, Paraguay. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium once had a 50,000+ capacity but over the years the stadium has undergone remodeling dropping the capacity to 36,000....
, AsunciónAsunciónAsunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
2–0 4–0 1999 Copa América 3. 4–0 4. 5 July 1999 Monumental Río Parapití Monumental Río ParapitíMonumental Río Parapití, is a multi-use stadium in the city of Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay, used mostly for football. It is the home venue of Club 2 de Mayo....
, Pedro Juan CaballeroPedro Juan Caballero, ParaguayPedro Juan Caballero is a city in Paraguay, located in Amambay Department of which it is the capital. The city lies on the border with the Brazilian city of Ponta Porã in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and is known as a centre for cheap electronic and consumer goods, and also as a centre for drug...
1–0 1–0 1999 Copa América 5. 7 October 2000 Estadio El Campín Estadio El CampínThe Nemesio Camacho Stadium, commonly known as El Campín, is the main stadium of Bogotá, Colombia. It is the home ground of the Independiente Santa Fe and Millonarios association football teams....
, BogotáBogotáBogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
1–0 2–0 2002 World Cup qualifier 6. 15 November 2000 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción 1–0 5–1 2002 World Cup qualifier 7. 5 September 2001 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción 4–1 5–1 2002 World Cup qualifier 8. 17 May 2002 Råsunda Stadium Råsunda StadiumRåsunda Fotbollstadion, also Råsundastadion, Råsunda Stadium or just Råsunda, is a Swedish national football stadium. It is located in Solna Municipality in Metropolitan Stockholm and named after Råsunda, a zone of Solna.-History:...
, StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
1–0 2–1 Friendly 9. 2 June 2002 Busan Asiad Main Stadium Busan Asiad StadiumThe Busan Asiad Stadium or Asiad Main Stadium is a stadium in Busan, Republic of Korea, that was built for the 2002 Asian Games and was also used for matches in the 2002 Football World Cup. It has a capacity of 53,864...
, BusanBusanBusan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
1–0 2–2 2002 World Cup 10. 15 November 2003 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción 1–0 2–1 2006 World Cup qualifier 11. 5 June 2005 Estádio Beira-Rio Estádio Beira-RioEstádio José Pinheiro Borda, better known as Estádio Beira-Rio due to its location beside the Guaíba River, is a football stadium in Porto Alegre, Brazil. It serves as the home stadium for Sport Club Internacional...
, Porto AlegrePorto AlegrePorto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
1–3 1–4 2006 World Cup qualifier 12. 8 June 2005 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción 2–1 4–1 2006 World Cup qualifier 13. 3 September 2005 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción 1–0 1–0 2006 World Cup qualifier 14. 25 March 2007 Estadio Universitario Estadio UniversitarioThe Estadio Universitario – nicknamed El Volcán is a stadium property of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, located in its premises in San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León in Mexico.-Sports:...
, MonterreyMonterreyMonterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
1–2 1–2 Friendly 15. 28 June 2007 Estadio José Pachencho Romero Estadio José Pachencho RomeroThe José "Pachencho" Romero Stadium is a sports stadium in Maracaibo, capital of the Zulia state, in Venezuela. The stadium holds 40,800 spectators...
, MaracaiboMaracaiboMaracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
1–0 5–0 2007 Copa América 16. 2–0 17. 3–0 18. 17 November 2007 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción 3–0 5–1 2010 World Cup qualifier 19. 15 June 2008 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción 1–0 2–0 2010 World Cup qualifier 20. 18 June 2008 Estadio Hernando Siles Estadio Hernando SilesEstadio Hernando Siles is a sports stadium in La Paz, Bolivia. It is the country's largest sports complex with a capacity of 42,000 seated spectators and is named after Hernando Siles Reyes, the 31st President of Bolivia...
, La PazLa PazNuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
1–2 2–4 2010 World Cup qualifier 21. 15 May 2010 Centre sportif de Colovray Nyon Centre sportif de Colovray NyonCentre Sportif de Colovray Nyon is where FC Stade Nyonnais play their home Football and Rugby games, the site is opposite the UEFA headquarters. The centre has 6 pitches for different things and hosts a variety of activities, Football, Rugby and Athletics...
, NyonNyonNyon is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometers north east of Geneva's city centre, and since the 1970s it has become part of the Geneva metropolitan area. It lies on the shores of Lake Geneva, and is the seat of the district of...
1–0 1–0 Friendly 22. 17 November 2010 Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground Siu Sai Wan Sports GroundSiu Sai Wan Sports Ground is a multi-purpose stadium in Hong Kong. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It occupies about 43,000 meter square and its construction costed over $230 million...
, Victoria1–0 7–0 Friendly 23. 3–0 24. 11 June 2011 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción 2–0 2–0 Friendly 25. 9 July 2011 Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba 1–1 2–2 2011 Copa América
Honours
Club Olimpia- Paraguayan Primera División (2): 19981998 in Paraguayan football-Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Apertura champion.-Apertura playoff stage:...
, 19991999 in Paraguayan football-Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Apertura champion.-Apertura playoff stage:...
Bayern Munich
- BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
(5): 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 - DFB-PokalDFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
(4): 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 - DFB-LigapokalDFB-LigapokalThe DFB-Ligapokal, or German League Cup, was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous Fußball-Bundesliga season and the winners of the DFB-Pokal in Germany...
(2): 20002000 DFB-LigapokalThe 2000 DFB-Ligapokal was the fourth edition of the DFB Liga-Pokal. Bayern Munich won the competition for the fourth consecutive year, beating Hertha BSC 5–1 in the final.-Preliminary round:-----Semi-finals:----- Final :...
, 20042004 DFB-LigapokalThe 2004 DFB-Ligapokal was the eighth edition of the DFB Liga-Pokal. Bayern Munich won their fifth title, beating Werder Bremen 3–2 in the final.-Preliminary round:-----Semi-finals:----- Final :... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
(1): 2001 - FIFA Intercontinental Cup (1): 20012001 Intercontinental CupThe 2001 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 27 November 2001 between Bayern Munich, winners of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, and defending champions Boca Juniors, winners of the 2001 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo...
Manchester City
- Vodacom ChallengeVodacom ChallengeThe Vodacom Challenge is a association football pre-season tournament that features Vodacom-sponsored South African giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs plus from 2006 onwards an invited European club...
Runner-up: 2009
Personal life
Santa Cruz married Giselle Tavarelli, the sister of his former national team and Olimpia teammate RicardoRicardo Tavarelli
Ricardo Javier Tavarelli Paiva is a former Paraguayan footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.-Career:...
, in 2003. They have a son named Tobias (born 17 December 2003), a daughter named Fiorella (born 11 November 2005) and a son named Benjamin (born 2010). Santa Cruz has a younger brother named Julio who plays for Blackburn Rovers in the reserve squad, second brother named Diego
Diego Santa Cruz
Diego Anibal Santa Cruz Cantero is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.-International career:...
who was also a professional football player and another brother named Oscar who died in 2005.
In a 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
edition of German magazine Kicker
Kicker (sports magazine)
kicker Sportmagazin is Germany's leading sports magazine and is focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann and is published twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday, in Nuremberg...
magazine, he was voted the sexiest man to be taking part in the tournament. He was also chosen by the German newspaper Die Welt
Die Welt
Die Welt is a German national daily newspaper published by the Axel Springer AG company.It was founded in Hamburg in 1946 by the British occupying forces, aiming to provide a "quality newspaper" modelled on The Times...
as the sexiest footballer of the 2006 World Cup. He has appeared on the cover of the German version of Pro Evolution Soccer 6
Pro Evolution Soccer 6
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 is one of Konami's highly successful Pro Evolution Soccer franchise...
.
In 2004 Santa Cruz was the subject of the song "Ich Roque" by the German band Sportfreunde Stiller
Sportfreunde Stiller
Sportfreunde Stiller is a German antifascist rock band from Germering, near Munich, in Bavaria.The band was founded in 1996 by Peter "Balboa" Brugger , Florian "Rakete" Weber , and Rüdiger "Rüde" Linhof . They took their original name, Stiller, from their former football manager, Hans Stiller, at...
.
Aproniano Santa Cruz, Roque's father, is also his agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
.