Aleksandar Pavlović is expected to start for Germany against Ivory Coast on Saturday in Toronto, a sign that the 22-year-old midfielder has moved from promising squad option to fixed part of Julian Nagelsmann's plans. For Germany, it is another step in a rise that has been quick enough to change the shape of the midfield and firm enough to push Leon Goretzka toward the edge of the picture.
He arrived at FC Bayern München at age seven and made his senior debut in October 2023 under Thomas Tuchel, then received his first major tournament call seven months later when Nagelsmann named him for EM 2024. The match in Toronto would be his 13th international appearance, and it comes with a bigger label attached: this is the first major tournament cycle in which Pavlović is being treated less like a newcomer than like a starter Germany can build around.
The numbers explain why. In the Bundesliga season, Pavlović averaged 110 touches per 90 minutes, completed 95 percent of his passes and finished 72 percent of his difficult passes. He also won 48 percent of his duels. In the Champions League, he started all 14 matches, which shows the same thing at a higher level: he is not just circulating the ball safely, he is doing it under pressure and doing it often. Against Curacao, he took three shots and still stood out for his passing rate, a reminder that his value is in linking play, not chasing the spotlight.
That rise still sits beside an unusual youth record. Pavlović made only two appearances for German youth national teams, both with the U20 side, yet he is now being handled as a regular for the senior team. Nagelsmann has said he cannot fully explain what was missing from the youth set-up and has also pointed out that Pavlović was once more childlike physically before becoming much more robust. The change matters because Germany did not wait for a long youth trail to trust him, and Pavlović did not arrive at this point through the usual ladder.
There is also the missed chance that still defines part of the story. Pavlović had to withdraw from EM 2024 because of tonsillitis and later had his tonsils removed in the summer, but the setback did not slow the broader climb. With Joshua Kimmich set at right-back and Nagelsmann preferring Felix Nmecha over Goretzka in the national team, Pavlović's role in the double pivot has only become more valuable. If he starts in Toronto, Germany will be asking a player with just two youth caps to do what he has already done in club football: keep the game moving, keep the passes clean and make the center of midfield look settled.
