• Roque Santa Cruz enjoyed productive spells in Paraguay, Germany, and England

• The forward became his nation’s leading scorer in 2013

• Santa Cruz made his international debut aged 17

Akshat Mehrish Perhaps it was the stark similarities in appearance with Gabriel ‘Batigol’ Batisuta, or perhaps it was the promise of the same prolific talent, that earned Roque Santa Cruz the moniker of ‘Babygol’. But, toward the end of the 1990s, the forward, who made his senior debut at 15 and won the Paraguayan Player of the Year at 17, had the footballing fraternity on the edge of their seats. They watched with bated breath as, like many of his prodigious predecessors who failed to deliver on their potential, he made the trip from South America to Europe. Paraguay are one of the progenitors of the FIFA World Cup, with a storied history that dates back to the start of the 20th century. They have played in eight of the 22 FIFA World Cups, albeit none since 2010, and won the Copa America twice, with most of their success predating the bi-millennium. While La Albirroja’s international pedigree has diminished in recent decades, they have sporadically provided the football community with a talking point. Roque Santa Cruz was one.

Fast forward 20 years, a 41-year-old Santa Cruz, with years of experience in his boots, is back in Paraguay. The forward had enjoyed productive spells in Germany, England, Spain, and Mexico, before deciding to return to his nativity to see out the remainder of his career. But, those who declared ‘Babygol’s’ homecoming a final flourish are sure to find a pleasant surprise; the striker has enjoyed his most prolific spell in his sunset years. At the time of writing, Santa Cruz headlines the Club Libertad attack alongside his 39-year-old compatriot Oscar Cardozo, identifiable instantly to those with an affinity for the Portuguese giants SL Benfica. In 2022, the pair helped Libertad win the Torneo Apertura, with Santa Cruz contributing seven goals to a successful title charge at the expense of rivals Olimpia. Olimpia, however, remain Santa Cruz’s boyhood club and the team that welcomed him back to Paraguay in 2016, where, in some quarters, he might still be silently revered despite committing the cardinal sin of siding with the enemy. Santa Cruz joined Olimpia aged nine and quickly made those tasked with his development accept that his ceiling stretched beyond what Paraguayan youth football had to offer. Six years later, aged 15, he made his senior debut for the club, naturally attracting the attention of teams from the other side of the Atlantic. At 17, the forward made his international debut amid a charm offensive by Bayern Munich. Bayern won the race for the teenager and took him to Europe as a full international and Paraguay’s Player of the year in 1999. In Germany, ‘Babygol’ enjoyed eight inconsistent yet productive years. While Cruz failed to affix himself as Bayern Munich’s first-choice forward and couldn’t reproduce the explosive goalscoring flair he had shown in Paraguay, Santa Cruz still left with 238 appearances, 54 goals, five Bundesliga titles, and one UEFA Champions League.

Santa Cruz rediscovered his scoring touch in England with Blackburn Rovers, returning to the Lancashire club with 23 goals in 43 appearances on an initial investment of £3.5 million in his first season. He later joined Manchester City at the dawn of their new era, but, finding himself lost among the superstars that came in one after the other, left to find the spark again on loans. The forward hadstints in Spain and Mexico before returning home. For Paraguay, Roque Santa Cruz was a member of the modern golden generation that participated in four consecutive FIFA World Cups between 1998 and 2010, with the forward on the roster in 2002, 2006, and 2010. He helped La Albirroja reach the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the final of the 2011 Copa America, marking some of the best years of recent Paraguayan football history. In 2013, Santa Cruz surpassed the great José Saturnino Cardozo to become his nation’s all-time leading scorer, affirming his place in Paraguayan folklore. Ten years later, at 41, he is still going strong.