Mirandés in a Copa del Rey fixture. The game was his second since returning from injury and his first appearance in the squad's starting XI. On 12 December, Santa Cruz stated that his intention was to retire at Málaga. Santa Cruz scored his first league goal of the season in a 1–1 away draw against Las Palmas on 10 January 2016. The fixture was his fourth league appearance and the first time he would be in the starting line-up for a league match. On 22 May 2016, Málaga-based newspaper Málaga Hoy reported that Santa Cruz was deciding whether to continue playing football or retire. The player's last appearance for the club had come on 24 April when he played just a few minutes at the Vicente Calderón Stadium against Atlético Madrid. At the end of the club season, Santa Cruz had been removed from Paraguay's 2016 Copa América squad due to a knee problem; his loan with Málaga had concluded; and Mexican club Cruz Azul had communicated that Santa Cruz was not returning for the next season. Several days later, one of the directors of Santa Cruz's former club Olimpia, Ricardo Tavarelli (also the player's brother in-law), announced that he had spoken with Santa Cruz in relation to the player's possible return to the club. Olimpia Asunción On 6 June 2016, Santa Cruz arrived in Paraguay for vacation and was greeted by many fans of Olimpia at the airport. He stated to the press that his "wish is to be at Olimpia, it's my house, I left from here". On 8 June, it was officially confirmed that Santa Cruz had returned to the club after 17 years and would join his teammates for pre-season. His "second" club debut came after entering the field in the second half of an international match, wearing the shirt number 24, against Boca Juniors on 23 June 2016. His league debut came in a 4–0 victory at home against Deportivo Capiatá on 30 July 2016. Santa Cruz was substituted onto the field in the second half for Fredy Bareiro in the 66th minute, assisting Julián Benítez in scoring his side's third goal two minutes later, then ultimately scoring a goal himself in the 90th minute. The player then missed his side's next two league fixtures, including the Superclásico against Cerro Porteño, and upon returning he scored again in a 4–3 come back victory against Nacional