Genoa coach Gianpiero Gasperini was satisfied with their Coppa Italia victory over Ravenna last night.

A late double from Diego Milito was enough for Genoa to win 2-1 and Gasperini said: “I am satisfied, although we have suffered so much.

“The game has allowed me to see some players that we hope to use during the season.

“Milito? What can you say? He deserves every compliment.”

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Buenos dias, Javier. How are you?
Buenos dias, Small Talk. Not too bad, thanks.

Let’s get down to business. You’re wearing the No9 shirt at Real Madrid this year. Bit of an improvement on the one you had last season, isn’t it?
I really didn’t like the No18. To be honest with you, I wanted the No7. That’s what I always wore at Barcelona and at River Plate. But that’s almost impossible here.

Well, it is Raul’s number …
OK. It’s completely impossible. You are probably right.

You don’t regret not joining Jonas Gutierrez and Fabrizio Coloccini on Tyneside?
[Pause] Well, there was talk about moving to Newcastle and a couple of other English clubs. But my coach said he had faith in me, so I decided to stay.

Was it Dennis Wise, Newcastle Brown, or the thought of going to the north-east that tipped the balance?
Nah, I just wanted to stay here in Spain. I would really like to go to England at some stage but I can’t be doing with arriving at airports and not understand anything. I’m actually having English classes now.

Good for you, but don’t let the tabloids hear that or they’ll link you to Bolton [Saviola stares at Small Talk; Small Talk remembers that they already have] Moving swiftly on then, tango or flamenco?
Tango. I heard a lot of flamenco when I was at Sevilla, and I really liked it, but it’s got to be tango.

Know any moves?
My mum does, but I haven’t got it in me. I can’t even string two steps together.

That’s two more than us. If you had to choose someone to teach you to dance, who would it be? Your glamorous Presidenta Cristina Kirchner or Spanish Princess Letizia?
[Thinks hard about this one] I think I’m going to go for Letizia. Until a decent politician comes around in Argentina I’ll always go for anyone else but her.

Typical Argentine asado, or a night on the tapas?
Asado.

[Saviola is now looking at Small Talk with contempt after the suggestion that tapas could claim superiority over the famed Argentine barbeque] Who would win a fight between the lion and the tiger?
That’s a tough one. I’ll go for the lion. He’s the king of the jungle, isn’t he?

Why do Argentines prefer using nicknames to surnames?
It’s just the way it is back home. If you’ve got a big nose, if you’re short or tall, you’ll get a nickname. But it’s not just in football. I don’t call any of my friends by their real name, it’s always by their nickname.

So what about your personal moniker?
I’m the Rabbit. After just three training sessions with the first team at River Plate, ‘Mono’ Burgos gave me mine. He saw the way I ran, and it stuck.

Your type of striker is referred to as the fox in the box in Britain. They weren’t tempted to call you the Zorrito?
No. In Argentina we actually say the mouse in the box, because of the speed of movement. But you aren’t the first person to tell me that.

You know Coloccini from your Argentina under-20s days. Has he always stuck with the same hair stylist?
Fabrizio has kept his hair like that for a long time. We used to laugh at it when he was younger. But he’s a great guy. He has a big personality and he is a very loyal person.

Who is the best player in the world?
Leo Messi, without doubt. He decides games, you just give him the ball and you know he will do something with it. Very few players have his ability. He is fast, and hard for defenders to stop when he has the ball. He’s a fantastic player.

That’s a glowing reference for a man who was named after Lionel Ritchie. What about the best player of all time?
Small Talk, you are asking an Argentine that question. Of course it’s Diego.

We’ll take it you’re talking about Maradona …
Just watching him play was amazing. You also have to remember what he did for Argentina. He put the country on the map for its football, and made people respect us for what he did on the pitch.

Is it true that Maradona once asked you for your shirt?
Yes it is. It was at a time when Diego was really ill, he was in a bad way. It was perhaps the worst he has ever been. I went to visit him in hospital and gave him a shirt of mine. Then I was flicking through a magazine a couple of weeks later and there was a photo of him coming out of the hospital wearing the shirt that I gave him. I almost died!

[Small Talk considers pointing out that so did Diego, but thinks better of it]
I had no idea he would do that. I felt really proud. And he also once asked me for a photo with his two daughters, at an awards ceremony in Argentina. I was leaving and he saw me in the parking lot, so he asked me for the photo.

One his daughters, Giannina, is shacked up with Kun Aguero. Were you never tempted to court Senorita Maradona?
[Slightly shocked at the thought] Nooooooo, you can’t mess with Diego. No way. Don’t go there.

Fair enough. We’ll leave it for now Javier, thanks for your time.
It’s been a pleasure, Small Talk.

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