Tell us how the possibility of coming to Malaga came about.
It happened very fast. When I got the option to come here, I accepted it. I was delighted! After finishing in Japan, I trained in Belgrade, twice a week with my personal trainer. It was good, but it is not the same as when you are with the team. It is not easy to train alone, but if you train and have good muscle tone, in the end it is easier.
How did Manolo Gaspar convince you?
Manolo was very direct. He told me how everything was and I was convinced by the mere fact that it is Malaga and it is an opportunity for me to be here to help the team. We didn't talk too much because he saw that I wanted to come because he felt that they wanted me to come.
He has already scored two goals although the referee conceded Lugo's to Lombán.
In Lugo everything happened very quickly and if I had not scored the goal after the rejection (Lombán's shot) it made it easier for the referee because if I had not scored I would have reviewed it by the VAR, what if he entered, what if not … at the end They gave it to David but it's another goal and we won the game.
Race scorer?
I don't like to promise anything because all I can do is give it my all. You know that we forwards live off streaks and where we have to be is in the area.
Pure center forward or do you prefer to play as a second striker?
I like to play in both positions. I have no problem playing with two strikers, a pure 'nine' or a second striker. If you know how to associate, it makes it easier for you to play on multiple systems.
Which forward do you like the most?
As a child, like many, we looked at Ronaldo, the Brazilian. But my idol was Shevchenko, the one from Milan who was a great team. I liked watching them play because they were a great team.
His father played for Mérida in 1997.
He was there and in fact we started playing soccer there (he also refers to his brother Marko). He was also a forward. He played eight or nine years for Partizan, which is together with Red Star, the biggest team in Serbia. In the former Yugoslavia, athletes could not leave the country before the age of 28. They lowered him to 27 and he was able to go to Cyprus where he was top scorer twice. With 31 or 32 he went to Mérida. That year he was promoted to First and retired from football.
What happened after?
He stayed working with the club and we (he and his brother Marko) stayed playing soccer and went to school. When my father decided to be a coach we returned to Belgrade.
What was your life like in Mérida?
A nice experience and I have friends. I still have contact with some of them. Something beautiful that stays with you for a lifetime, like the Spanish I have spoken since then.
And he speaks it quite well.
When you are a child you learn it much more easily. And we were one more. We were Extremadura, because we spoke like them. Sometimes the Spanish, sometimes, was imposed on the Serbian (laughs).
Did you play in Mérida?
I spent six years playing in the lower categories in Mérida. In those years it was four years of futsal, then you went to football seven. The last year of futsal we were champions of Spain. The community of Extremadura won in the final to that of Madrid. It was something nice.
Do you have a Spanish passport?
I do not have it because we return before completing the ten consecutive years of residence that they require. I could have had it for a long time, but they don't count how many times I've played in Spain afterwards.
He has played for eleven clubs in nine different countries.
It is something that in football can happen because many times they are not decisions that you make but they come from outsiders. Sport is like that. Even if you are comfortable in a place you never know what can happen. And I would like to stay here, in Spain. It's where I feel best.
Have you been proposed to stay at Malaga?
We haven't talked yet. We have games to play and we are going to watch. We will talk for sure. I imagine that the time will come when people talk to see a future to see what the club thinks and see everything.
If it were up to you, would you sign tomorrow?
I am calm because we have games to play and I am concentrating on that. The club will decide when to speak. We will sit down and talk.
At Sporting he scored 23 goals in one season.
I came to Sporting after several seasons that I was doing well. At Sporting I know I did very well and we were unlucky enough to be out in the playoff and we didn't get promoted. I was very good at Sporting.
And in Getafe?
We were unlucky to go down to Second after doing a good first lap with 25 points. And we went down after scoring only eight points in the second round. The following year we ascended. And doing it in the playoff seems like you celebrate it more. The field, against Tenerife, was to burst and we lived it with the fans.
Can you imagine being able to experience something like this with Malaga?
Mathematically we are not ruled out.
Is the promotion a dream, an illusion? It's possible?
I think it is an illusion for all of us who are here. Why not? Getting excited is a nice thing. Believe in it too. Working as up to now they cannot take that dream away from you.
What do you think of the Superliga project?
Soccer belongs to everyone. They want to put in a lot of money, but in the end the Champions have that thing that there may be a surprise. And that's the beauty of football.
We remember Málaga, in the quarterfinals in 2013.
Everyone knows Malaga did not go (to the semifinals) not because of the team's merits. No one expected to get to the rooms. That is why the Champions League is beautiful because there is always something, although Malaga had a great team.
Malaga seems to be rebuilding as an entity and a team.
After the bad times that the club, the fans, the city have gone through so much … they deserve to be in the most something and hopefully it can happen in the near future.
The quarry, to power
There are very interesting players and the guys who come from below have to seize the opportunity. They must work even harder.
Unfortunately, you suffered a torn cruciate ligament.
It's not easy, but you get over it. Head up and to work to get back stronger. It is a bad time because I, who never had injuries, and suddenly you suffer a serious one, it is not easy. We all recover.
This is a message of optimism for Chavarría and Iván Calero.
They are recovering. Pablo had the same injury before and he knows how it goes. For Iván it is the first time and they have the support of their teammates and they will come back stronger. It gets out of everything.
How was it in Japan?
I was in a team where we were in 19th place out of 22 teams although there are no relegations. It was not a good season for the team, but I had been recovering from the injury for 10 months. It was a period to see that I was well and it has served me well for now.
What Malaga has been found?
People with great joy, hunger and enthusiasm and that translates into the field with good results. The environment we have is important.
And Pellicer?
Very good both the coach and the rest of the coaching staff. Every day you work hard. They are all in training. Things are doing very well. Before arriving I had already had results.
How is your brother Marko doing at Omonia in Cyprus?
It is going very well because they are fighting for the title of champion of Cyprus. They go first. They have three games left. My brother is doing well.
Has the pandemic affected you?
The truth is, no. I went to Japan and everything was open working normally. They always wear a mask. I went back to Serbia and also open. Now the same in Spain. I am still lucky that countries open when I arrive …