The difficulty with Roque Santa Cruz is that he was a signing that the club had been on the cusp of before they won the lotto. He had been courted by former Blackburn Rovers Mark Hughes ever since the Welshman had swapped the Ewood Park hotseat for Eastlands in June 2008, so when Hughes finally got his man with Abu Dhabi in the frame, suddenly the Paraguay international wasn't greeted with the same level of anticipation and excitement as he might have hoped. An underwhelming signing, considering the arrivals of renowned superstars Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez in the same summer, and especially for the princely sum of £17.5 million. However, what sets Santa Cruz firmly in the trouble-making camp was his refusal to accept a bit-part role at the club. Indignant at his lack of first-team action, following a miserly debut season featuring just three goals, he decided to let the world know of the unrest that existed within the City camp, and that their star player was pining for home comforts.
''Your heart goes out to his family. He wants to be among his people, who are in Argentina. His siblings and his daughters are also there - when you feel that your homeland is calling you back, you could end up giving up everything to return.'' - Roque Santa Cruz, October 2010.
The former Bayern Munich hitman's pathetic attempts at subtlety fell flat, as Tevez showed no signs of leaving Eastlands, leaving an unhappy Santa Cruz to stew in the reserves for another year.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
