Aleksandar Pavlovic has been thrown back again and again in the past. He came back strongly against Luxembourg and has his sights set on the 2026 World Cup.
Munich’s Aleksandar Pavlovic is probably one of the greatest German football talents in midfield. In 2023, at just 19 years old, he made his competitive debut with FC Bayern, followed less than a year later by his international debut with the senior national team. At first glance, things could hardly have gone better for the now 21-year-old if it weren’t for his unfortunate injury history.
“I don’t want to hear about the injuries and setbacks anymore. That’s all been pushed back. Now we’re looking forward,” says Pavlovic himself. But the fact is, the health setbacks have cost the Munich player a lot of playing time.
Pavlovic pursued by Bad luck with injuries
Since his debut in June 2024, only six more international matches have followed. He missed the home European Championships due to tonsil surgery. A few months later, a broken collarbone slowed me down. Pfeiffer’s glandular fever followed at the beginning of this year In August a fracture of the eye socket.
He has been playing regularly at FC Bayern since the end of August and is now back in the national team. The big goal: to recommend yourself for the 2026 World Cup. Pavlovic has already impressed against Luxembourg alongside his teammate from Munich, Leon Goretzka. “There was a lot of activity there. It’s infectious because he wants every ball and is very courageous. I think you’ve seen that at Bayern in the last few weeks, that the rhythm of the game is also important. I’m very happy with his performance,” said Julian Nagelsmann after the game.
Pavlovic: “Julian and I get along very well”
The national coach has had a special relationship with Pavlovic for a long time: “Julian and I get along very well. Many people don’t know that. But I completed my first professional training with him. At FC Bayern, he picked me up there. That’s why we’ve had a bond with him ever since.”
Julian Nagelsmann is counting on the “extraordinary six-man talent” for the 2026 World Cup. Provided Pavlovic stays fit and plays regularly for FC Bayern. ARD expert Bastian Schweinsteiger also sees great potential in the Munich player: “He has the quality, he has everything to have a great career in the central midfield. At Bayern Munich you are surrounded by top players at a high level. If you always play there, are at the forefront, then he is definitely someone who has the future in the central midfield in Germany.”
Schweinsteiger himself was one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and was a great role model for Pavlovic: “When a personality like that says something like that about me, it motivates me even more to step on the gas.”
He has his next chance to recommend himself for the World Cup next summer on Monday evening in the game against Northern Ireland.
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Source: BR24 October 13, 2025 – 12:55 p.m
