After the gala performance against Mainz 05, Leon Goretzka spoke about a teammate who wasn’t on the pitch at all – and gave him advice for the future.
Top talent Aleksandar Pavlović was missing from Munich due to a yellow card suspension and was therefore condemned to watch. In the mixed zone after the game, his teammate Goretzka was asked about the 19-year-old’s future – not in the club, but in the national team. Because: Pavlović could play for both the DFB team and the Serbian national team.
Goretzka clearly: “I would choose the DFB”
“I don’t have to add my two cents. That doesn’t do anyone any good,” said Goretzka, initially when asked about his possible national team career and then went into raptures. “I’m a big fan of Aleks. He’s just playing with total freedom at the moment,” Goretzka told t-online: “I have to be honest: I personally feel really good that he’s not making a record for himself . It’s just a lot of fun to see him come into training, how he comes into the game. He’s enjoying every second and he should continue to do so.”
The midfielder then went into more detail about the advances of the Serbian association, which would like to convince Pavlović to join his own national team. “It’s a decision that everyone has to make for themselves,” emphasized Goretzka, but added: “If I could give him a recommendation, then I would choose the DFB.”
Pavlović himself, who watched the 8-1 gala in the stands and then strolled through the mixed zone in civilian clothes and a black baseball cap, remained tight-lipped on the subject regarding his decision to join one of the associations. “Now it’s the nomination, then we’ll see,” is all he said. He again didn’t want to answer whether he had already been in contact with national coach Julian Nagelsmann, but grinned mischievously again when he said it.
In an interview with t-online, Pavlović recently revealed a clear tendency as to which country he would most like to play for. When asked whether the opportunity to play at the home European Championships with the German national team wasn’t a big dream for him that he already had in the back of his mind, he replied: “Of course. That would be a dream of mine. That would be very nice.” Being able to recommend himself with further strong performances at Bayern in the next few weeks is “definitely a great extra motivation,” continued Pavlović.
The next squad nomination from national coach Julian Nagelsmann is next Thursday. It is quite possible that there will be a few surprises in his squad for the international matches against France and the Netherlands in March.