Aleksandar Pavlović is at his first World Cup and already sits in the German team's central midfield. The 22-year-old FC Bayern player said he has no fear of anything or anyone, a line that fits the role he has been handed in a squad preparing for the tournament.
Aleksandar Pavlović in Winston-Salem
He has been training with the German national team in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on the campus of Wake Forest University for about two weeks. That camp is where his place in the middle of the team has been taking shape, with the interview showing how quickly he has moved into the core of the setup.
His free time has been simple. Pavlović said he likes to relax by the pool and once went into the ice tub, then spent time in town with his parents over coffee. His parents are with him in the USA, while his sister wanted to come but could not because her son is just under one year old.
Uno, Playstation and FC Bayern
Off the field, he and Nathaniel Brown play Uno almost every day. The losers get small punishments, a detail that says more about the camp rhythm than any long training explanation could.
Pavlović also drew a clean line around his downtime: “Ich bin aber nicht der Playstation-Typ, ich zocke nur wenig.” Instead of gaming much, he prefers going out to eat and looking around the area. That makes his off-day routine practical rather than virtual, and it keeps the focus on recovery and the next training session.
Late growth, early trust
The more revealing part of his story is how he got here. “Ich war spätpubertierend,” he said, adding that he was still a child while the boys around him seemed grown up. He worked on his body with strength training and said, “Das mache ich heute noch sehr diszipliniert.”
That path explains the edge in his words now. “Ich habe nie aufgegeben,” he said, and the same interview pairs that with his claim that he has “die Gabe, vor nichts und niemandem Angst zu haben.” For Germany, the practical takeaway is clear: a 22-year-old in his first World Cup is already being treated as part of the central midfield spine, not as a passenger in the squad.
How Germany use him from here is the remaining question, but the camp picture is already set. Pavlović has arrived at his first World Cup with a defined place, a disciplined routine, and a self-image built on catching up rather than easing in.
