There is something almost childlike in the joy with which Gonzalo Higuaín reacts to scoring a goal. “Some players think about how to celebrate, but I am not like that,” he says. “I just feel all the adrenalin of the match and I go crazy. I do the first thing that comes into my mind.”

That artlessness is precious to Higuaín, and an unusual feature in a striker who has operated at the very highest level for well over a decade. Yet it is no front: this is a man who cares about his profession, and still thrives on the primal thrill of goalscoring, while retaining a sense of perspective.

When he returned to Juventus last summer after his loan spell at Chelsea, he decided to forsake the traditional No 9 shirt in favour of the No 21, in honour of his daughter, Alma, who was born on May 21. “I wanted her to be with me on the pitch every time and hoped she could bring me good luck, which she is doing,” he says.

Higuaín is still only 32, and has no imminent plans to retire, but it is no surprise that he has given thought to what he wants to do when his playing days are over. He intends to open his own academy, either at home in Argentina or in Italy, with a specific aim beyond coaching. That aim is to educate young players in dealing with the “external pressure, fan pressure, business ideas” that can infect the game and avoid some of the “mistakes” he has made along the way.