Aleksandar Pavlovic has quickly become an integral part of the FC Bayern team. The 21-year-old is now a regular in Vincent Kompany’s team – and can look back on a remarkable development himself
Few players manage to establish themselves at the German record champions at such a young age. Pavlovic is one of the rare examples of this. Born in Munich, he comes from the club’s own youth system and has made the leap from campus to the professional ranks
This development in particular is a source of great satisfaction for those in charge at Säbener Straße, as home-grown players with a permanent place in the professional squad are traditionally particularly valuable at FC Bayern
Great recognition from Matthäus and Nagelsmann
Pavlovic’s development is also closely followed outside the club. Record international Lothar Matthäus recently even drew a comparison with Toni Kroos. „He’s a playful six-man who gets the balls. Pavlovic is an important player – at Bayern and in the national team. Pavlovic has something of Toni Kroos,“ explained the TV pundit
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann was also extremely positive about the midfielder. In an interview with kicker, he particularly emphasized his consistency. „Pavlo is super-consistent, almost always plays at the same level,“ said Nagelsmann. It is precisely this reliability that is particularly valuable for a coach
At FC Bayern itself, Pavlovic also receives a lot of praise. After the cup match against RB Leipzig (2:0), sporting director Max Eberl emphasized that the midfielder is often underestimated. „Alex is simply the machine that runs, that does, that makes,“ explained Eberl. His performances are sometimes overshadowed by the attacking stars, although he is currently in outstanding form
Coach Vincent Kompany praised Pavlovic’s development in defensive play in particular, saying the midfielder has made enormous progress in winning the ball and in positional play
Pavlovic emphasizes Kompany’s role
The player himself sees a large part of his development in his coach. In an interview with Sky, Pavlovic made it clear what influence Kompany had on him. „He has a very big influence,“ explained the 21-year-old. The Belgian understands exactly how he plays soccer and how he ticks on the pitch
Especially defensively, Kompany has taken him to a new level. „That’s why he’s very important and it’s a lot of fun to play under him,“ Pavlovic emphasized
With his development, the midfielder is now one of the most important building blocks in FC Bayern’s system – and is likely to continue to play a central role in Munich’s game in the future.