Mauro Zarate has paid tribute to Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish for bringing him to England.

Speaking in the club's magazine, Zarate said: "I never thought Al-Sadd would let me go because they paid a very high transfer fee for me just a few months ago.

"But I knew the chance to come to Birmingham was very important and, after speaking to Al-Sadd a few times and pushing them for a move to England, they agreed to let me go and here is the result.

"Birmingham were the first one to come in for me and the ones that pushed the hardest to get me out of there.

Once I knew Birmingham wanted to sign me, I did my best to convince the Al-Sadd owners. There were other clubs interested just before I signed here. From England, there were Tottenham and Newcastle.

"But I am very happy with my choice. Maybe here I have the chance to play more regularly and it's great to be in the team now. I like the city and the atmosphere at the stadium. Since I was a child, the two leagues I admired most were the English and the Spanish leagues."