The 27-year-old has opted to pen a contract extension to tie him to Ewood Park until 2012.

After David Bentley left Rovers to join Tottenham Hotspur earlier this summer Santa Cruz was also tipped to move on.

He was hugely impressive in his debut Barclays Premier League campaign after moving to Lancashire from Bayern Munich last summer with 23 goals in all competitions.

knee injuries

A statement on the club's official website said: "Blackburn Rovers are delighted to announce that Roque Santa Cruz has signed a new four-year contract with the club, running through until 2012."

Rovers gambled on the Paraguayan and paid Bayern less than £4million after a series of serious knee injuries wrecked his time in Bavaria.

And the move paid off as Santa Cruz - who scored in Saturday's 3-2 win at Everton - played 36 of 38 Premier League matches last season.

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