The German Football Association has lost one of FC Bayern’s most talented youngsters to Croatia. Filip Pavic has decided to play for the Croatian national team in the future
The 16-year-old confirmed his decision in an official announcement by the Croatian Football Association (HNS). Pavic has both German and Croatian citizenship and would therefore have been eligible to play for both national teams
The defensive player was born in Freising in 2010, grew up in Germany and has been trained at the Bayern Campus for years. The defender has already played for the German U15 and U16 teams at youth level. Nevertheless, Pavic feels closely connected to his Croatian roots
„I feel great gratitude, respect and love for Germany, where I grew up and live, where I learned to play soccer,“ explained the Bayern talent. At the same time, the youngster made it clear why he ultimately chose Croatia: „On the other hand, I grew up in a Croatian family, I feel these Croatian roots very strongly and I want to represent Croatia at international level.“
Pavic has already made Bayern history
The name Filip Pavic is no longer unknown in Munich. The versatile defensive player is considered one of the biggest talents on the Bayern campus
The then 16-year-old made history back in March of this year when he came on as a 72nd-minute substitute in FC Bayern’s Champions League match, becoming the youngest player in the club’s history to ever appear for Munich in the top flight
He is also the third youngest player in the history of the Champions League
Pavic can play in several positions at the same time. In addition to his main role in the center of defence, he is also deployed at right-back and in defensive midfield. It is precisely this flexibility that makes him particularly interesting
At FC Bayern, the youngster is seen internally as a player with enormous development potential, and Munich have high hopes for the defensive all-rounder
The Croatian Football Association was also delighted with the Bayern talent’s decision: „Of course we are very happy about this decision by Filip and his family,“ the association explained in its official statement.