That’s what we call a nice surprise. In a gloomy 2023/2024 season where Bayern Munich finished third in the Bundesliga and saw Bayer Leverkusen seize the title, a rare satisfaction was notable, the emergence of Aleksandar Pavlović. Valuable in the midfield, the midfielder rakes, creates, hits, dribbles and brings what the Rekordmeister needs at that moment. Taking advantage of injury to slowly take a place in the Bavarian group, he played 25 matches for 2 goals and 2 offerings last season and slowly established himself as a starter. He could even have played Euro 2024, but was ultimately withdrawn after a tonsil infection.
For the 2024/2025 season, the cards were reshuffled in midfield and Aleksandar Pavlović’s position weakened. With the replacement of Joshua Kimmich from the right-back position to that of midfielder and the recruitment of Joao Palhinha from Fulham for 51 million euros, the competition was reinforced especially since Konrad Laimer and Leon Goretzka are also there. However, it is Aleksandar Pavlović who plays alongside Joshua Kimmich the majority of the time and we even wonder in Bavaria about the relevance of having recruited Joao Palhinha.
Soon a world reference?
With the exception of a match against Holstein Kiel where he was rested for the Champions League, Aleksandar Pavlović started all the other matches like this Saturday’s clash against Bayer Leverkusen ( 1-1). A match where he was sensational in the midfield and where he allowed Bayern Munich to clearly dominate the proceedings. Although he provoked the corner which led to Robert Andrich’s goal, he was nevertheless largely forgiven by equalizing with an exceptional half-volley. “I just said to myself: now I’m going to strike! And it worked well“, he declared after the meeting.
His coach Vincent Kompany was very complimentary when talking about his 20-year-old nugget. He especially highlighted Aleksandar Pavlović’s state of mind after the game: “he is a very talented young player. He plays with a lot of maturity. We support him when he makes a mistake and encourage him when he plays well. I hope he becomes a top midfielder, not only in Germany, but also in the world.» For the moment on the right path Aleksandar Pavlović has taken a significant lead over the competition in his position. Complete and capable of doing everything with a high volume of play, Aleksandar Pavlović is making everyone agree in Bavaria. A first conquest before tackling the world of football?
