APPIANO GENTILE – "Am I aggressive on the pitch? Maybe I turn into a different person! Maybe because I like winning, so I always do everything I possibly can. Even if I wear myself out, I run and run and run…" Rodrigo Palacio explained, responding to more questions from the fans on tonight’s InterNos show.

He went on: "When you’re playing you don’t think about getting injured. Last year in Genoa I hurt myself as I was kicking the ball but all I cared about was that it went in. My daughter wears me out more: she never stops running about!"

The questions kept coming thick and fast: "Have I always worn No.8? No, at Boca I had 14. Why 8? Because I like the number and Sculli had 14 at Genoa. What would I have done if I hadn’t been a footballer? I’d have played basketball. My favourite dish? Here in Italy I like pasta, and I loved the focaccia in Genoa. The world’s best player? Messi."

Palacio will be up against another Argentina team-mate when Napoli visit the Meazza on Saturday: Gonzalo Higuain. "He’s a River Plate boy, so it will be good to go up against him. We’re friends and we get on well. I certainly expect it to be a great game. We’ll have to keep close tabs on El Pipita because he’s the sort of player who can really make the difference. I thought he’d do well in Serie A – he came here from Real Madrid after all, a fantastic team where he scored lots of goals, so I knew he’d have good season."

Asked about Kovacic, the striker didn’t hold back in his praise: "He’s a brilliant player, he’s really got a great future ahead of him. He still needs to learn lots of thing about the Italian game but if he carries on he’s going to be a top player. He can only get better because he’s young and every time he steps onto the pitch he does something extraordinary."

The 32-year-old also gave his view on the team’s moment of form: "We’re looking good at the moment and I think we’re having a decent season. We know we weren’t able to challenge for the title because there are some great sides up there like Roma and Juventus. We’re working to get there ourselves."

You can see this and much more on Inter Channel in the full interview with Palacio at 21:00!