Berlin [Germany], April 3: Germany midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic is anticipating his first major tournament, the World Cup in summer, but first has big aims with his treble-seeking club Bayern Munich.
Pavlovic, 21, missed Euro 2024 due to tonsillitis which means that the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada will be his first big event.
National team coach Julian Nagelsmann sees Pavlovic in defensive midfield together with Bayern team-mate Leon Goretzka, because his Bayern midfield partner Joshua Kimmich plays in his old role of right back for Germany.
"Of course I'm pleased when the national coach speaks positively about me. The World Cup is a clear goal of mine, but at the moment I'm still looking at it from afar," Pavlovic told Bayern's club magazine in an interview published on Thursday.
"For now, I still have big goals with FC Bayern. That's where my focus is and I'm continuing to work hard for that. And then, come the summer, the World Cup."
Missing the home Euros hurt but he said that "these things happen, so you have to get over them quickly and move on, even if it's not easy of course." Munich-born Pavlovic has had a meteoric rise for club and country.
He made his first team debut at boyhood club Bayern in 2023 and got his first national team call-up in 2024, choosing Germany instead of Serbia, the home country of his father.
Due to illnesses and injuries he so far has only nine caps, and also missed the latest games against Switzerland and Ghana with a hip problem.
He is now back in training and is to help Bayern in their bid for a third treble. Bayern are nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, are in the Champions League quarter-finals and German Cup semis.
Pavlovic said he is pleased "that I have managed to assert myself here" and said he feels no mental pressure because "I look forward to showing what I'm capable of on the big stage.
"I'm someone who tries to take control of the game and direct what's happening with composure and vision. When I realise we have everything under control, I want to be creative and show people some good football," he said.
"I now realise my teammates consciously search me out in tight situations. Also because they know that I'm always there and usually have good solutions ready. I really enjoy this role in the team."
Source: Qatar Tribune
