While Europe has been heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic, how are things in South America? We asked Dario Cvitanich to find out.

At 35, 'Super Dario' is still scoring. He completed a league-League Cup double in 2019 with Racing Club Avellaneda, and forms a potent partnership with his "great friend", Lisandro Lopez. His charisma, class and humility mean he has a special place in the Gym's history and in the fans' hearts. What else did we expect but, "Yes of course, as soon as I've finished training, I can do it" when we asked him if he would talk to us. Same old Dario…He even apologised for his French that "I don't use too much now". No need to say sorry, Dario, it was almost perfect.

The situation in Argentina
"Here, things are fine. Everyone is in lockdown following doctors' orders. I'm with my family, my wife and two daughters, that's the most important thing. It's a bit bizarre, but it's going to last a while longer. The government saw what was happening in Europe, in Italy, Spain, France, so they didn't want to take any risks. They closed all the borders and put the population in lockdown as soon as the first cases appeared. Today [27 March] there are around 500 cases and a dozen deaths. You're not allowed out, apart from going to buy food or to go to the pharmacy. The problem here is that 40% of the population live 'day to day', and need to work to eat. It's not an easy situation. For the moment, everyone is respecting the lockdown, but there is some impatience creeping in. That's understandable: if you can't eat, you can't hold out."

A usual day
"I wake up at 8.00, take a maté, and then start with my little niçoise, Lupe. I homeschool her. After that, our fitness coaches call us to give us our training programme and I train. I eat, a little siesta, and then a second training session in the afternoon with exercises where I use my bodyweight, do some strength training and abdominal work. After that, we go food-shopping, we spend the evening together and the weekend I prepare the meat, as usual. With the family, the day goes quickly. During the season, I don't have a lot of time to enjoy these moments, because we play on Wednesdays and Sundays and in between we are together with the team in a hotel. So now I'm at home, I'm taking advantage of that."

Dario Cvitanich and his 'little niçoise' Lupe at the opening of the Allianz Riviera

The athlete
"We played the first two games of the league season behind closed doors and then everything stopped due to the coronavirus. I don't know what's going to happen and what they'll decide. We don't even know when we'll return to training…As I said, the fitness coach calls us so we're not slacking off. I live in a house, but some of the players live in apartments, so they have to adapt to be able to train in the staircase or between the buildings. It's not easy. If the situation stays like this for 15 or 20 days, we'll need another pre-season, that's certain. At 35, I don't know how much more time I'll have on the pitch, and I want to make the most of my career. In a sporting sense, everything is going well. Last season, Boca [Juniors] were champions, and it was us before that. Racing have won three titles in 50 years, and I was there for the last of those. The club and the fans are happy, and I'm happy to be here."

The heart in Nice
"I always keep up with the news from your place, either by telephone or social media. Time passes, but one thing doesn't change: I love Nice and the Niçois. When we talk about it, my wife cries. There's a sadness because of the great experience we had there. It wasn't only football, it was a lifestyle, the people, the city, friends…I've not come back since I left the club, I will do so though because I miss all of that. I've talked a lot about it with Lisandro Lopez. He lives five minutes from me, and we room together before games. All that to say that I was happy when Nice beat Lyon recently…I know the Gym are sixth, I watch them play when I can. Up front, Dolberg is a great goalscorer. If the league restarts, the team can finish well. I have also seen photos of the new training centre, that really looks something! I just hope the Niçois are in good shape, that they're taking care of themselves. Say hi to them for me, and if someone from the club needs something, don't hesitate…"

---