14
Roque Santa Cruz
Position
Striker
Height (ft)
6.02
Date of birth
16 August 1981
Weight (st)
Place of birth
Asuncion
International caps / goals
61 /
A year-long chase for the services of the Paraguayan striker ended in July 2009 when he arrived at the City of Manchester Stadium to link up with boss Mark Hughes for the second time.
It was Hughes who brought the free scoring, powerful target man from Bayern Munich to Blackburn for a knockdown fee of £3.5million in July 2007.
Roque proved that piece of transfer business to be one of the shrewdest of the season as he netted 23 goals in 43 league and cup appearances. However, 2009-10 proved less successful as he battled injury and spent time on the bench, though he scored four goals from his six starts.
The hitman began his professional career in with Olimpia Asuncion in his home town helping them to two championship titles and himself to the Paraguayan Footballer of the Year award in 1999.
His form earned him a move to the Bundesliga and he spent seven years in Munich notching up 155 appearances and helping them to three Bundesliga titles and the Champions League in 2001.
Roque made his debut for Paraguay as a 17-year-old and has gone on to win 60 more caps. He is likely to lead their attack at the 2010 World Cup and clock up a third appearance in the finals.
