Aleksandar Pavlović has settled the question around his international future. Born in München on 3 May 2004, the FC Bayern midfielder chose Germany in March 2024 after being eligible to represent either Germany or Serbia.
That decision matters because it closed off one of the most closely watched eligibility cases in German football this year. Pavlović grew up in a family with a German mother and a Serbian father, held both citizenships and had the rare luxury of two national teams waiting for him. Julian Nagelsmann first called him up for the German national team in March 2024, and Pavlović moved with that chance rather than keep the choice open.
His path to that point was built almost entirely inside FC Bayern’s system. The family lived in Fürstenfeldbruck near München, he started at SC Fürstenfeldbruck and joined the FC Bayern München youth academy at seven. From there he came through every age group before breaking into the first team, a rise that has made him one of the club’s best-known homegrown players.
The pull from the other side was real. The Serbischer Fußballverband tried to persuade him to choose Serbia, and Dragan Stojković later said he was surprised by how quickly Pavlović opted for Germany. Pavlović, for his part, has said he did not make the decision against Serbia and that he felt connected to both countries, a line that fits the way his background has shaped the debate around him.
What gives the choice extra weight now is that it does not sit in isolation. Pavlović is under a long-term contract extension with FC Bayern München until 30 June 2029, which means Germany’s newest midfield option is tied to a club that helped form him and to an international path he has now made clear. The unresolved part is not where he plays next, but how far that decision can carry him as the Germany setup builds toward WM 2026.
