Hello Ronald, how are you? Fine thanks, Small Talk, and you?
Tremendous. Now then, who is going to win the World Cup? My favourite is Spain because they are playing the best football and they have the experience from winning the European Championships.
Can Holland win it? Everything is possible in our lives but for me they are not the big favourites. The big favourites are Spain and Brazil and then you have some outstanding teams like England, Holland and Argentina. Holland have a lot of quality in midfield and in attack but in defence we need to be stronger.
As you know, England didn't go to the World Cup in 1994 and it was all because of you. You should have been sent off that night in Rotterdam, yes? That was for me not the question. They had to hate the referee. He made the wrong decision to give me the yellow card.
Have you bumped into Graham Taylor at all since then? No I haven't.
Have you ever seen the documentary that was made in England about that match? No, but I heard a lot because when I was still a player I had to play in England and the public was not happy with me.
Did that bother you? No, never. I can understand that.
Holland is a small country but always have a powerful football team. Why? I think we have very good facilities for the youth in Holland. We have very good youth coaches and I think that is some of the reasons that always Holland has very good football players.
If Small Talk were to go on holiday to Holland, what should we see or do? First of all you go to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is not typical Dutch in that we are open people but you can go to Volendam, that is a little place outside of Amsterdam. But if you like the sun then it is better to go outside of Holland.
What is the last piece of music that you bought? It was by Marco Borsatto. It is typical Dutch.
What are we talking, tippy-tappy piano, searing axe solos, what? No, it is a little bit of party music that we use in Holland. It is very good music but I like all good music: UB40, U2 and that kind of thing.
Do you like to cook? When I was a player it was not normal that I would cook at home but now that I have more time, I do sometimes. I like it, I like to cook and maybe sometime I would like to have some lessons.
What is your best dish? Italian pasta.
What was your favourite toy as a child? [Guffaws] Not a lot because my best present for my birthday was always a ball! I played sometimes with the train that we used in Holland but not a lot.
Do you still have that train? [Wistfully] No, I don't have it anymore.
Would you consider buying a new train? [Chuckles] No, no, no.
Do you collect stamps? No. I sort of collect watches. It started 10 years ago and then every time there was a new sports watch or new colours I tried to get it.
How many do you have now? About 25 or 30. But they are cheap ones, not expensive. I just like sports watches in different colours so that when I have a blue jacket I can wear a blue watch and that kind of thing.
Do you have a big watch to wear around your neck like the rapper Flavor Flav? No, no, I don't like that.
If you had a chat show on television, who would you like to interview? Tiger Woods.
And what would you ask him? Nothing about the story in the last few months. I am also a golf fan and for me it is always incredible that when he needs to play the best shot of the day, he can do it despite all the pressure.
Do you ever watch your matches from the past? When my two boys were growing up and asking me about what I did and what kind of player I was I showed them all the matches from the European Championships in 1988 when we beat Germany in the semi-final and won the final against Russia. My kids did not know that and I showed them the video and they said "Papa, in that time football was very slow and lots of passing back to the goalkeeper, it was very easy!"
Kids, eh? Finally Ronald, can you tell us a joke? My jokes are in Dutch and I know from my time in Spain that when I try to translate a Dutch joke it does not sound very funny. So no, sorry.
Not to worry, Ronald, bye! Bye Small Talk.
Ronald Koeman was speaking on behalf of Castrol Football, an official sponsor of the 2010 Fifa World Cup
