Sitting one morning reading the paper while holidaying in a villa in Greece last summer, I was amazed to find out that Blackburn had managed to sign the Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

I knew he was a good player and quickly picked up my mobile phone to ring my dad in Blackburn to confirm that indeed Rovers had signed such a world-class player. My dad didn't know anything about Santa Cruz, but being a keen follower of football all around the world I knew Mark Hughes had again done well in the transfer market and that he would be a great signing for my beloved club.

I knew he was good – but not this good! He’s been a sensation and the fans already love the tall, strong attacker. Let's just hope Blackburn can somehow qualify for the Intertoto Cup and a place in Europe, otherwise Santa Cruz may find a move to a larger club too tempting to ignore.

The striker was a real bargain and Hughes knew it straight away. He has outperformed his fellow strikers in the team such as Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts, and alongside Brad Friedel and David Bentley is definitely a contender for Blackburn player of the year. His ability to strike great shots on goal and use his height to score powerful headers has worried the best defences in the country.

He has scored 19 Premier League goals for his team this season – including a couple against Derby yesterday – and lies only behind the formidable Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Emmanuel Adebayor in the list of the 2007/2008 Premier League top scorers. Like McCarthy last season, the 6ft 3in striker has been an instant success at Ewood Park, with both manager and fans delighted in his abilities and form.

The Paraguyan had limited chances in Germany where he was often used as a substitute and only played 155 matches between 1999-2007 for Bayern Munich.