The very young defender makes his debut in Europe's top competition.
There is a wonderful story to tell about the closing stages of the match – the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 – between Bayern Munich and Atalanta. In the magnificent setting of the Allianz Arena in Munich, during the match against Raffaele Palladino’s side, Bayern manager Vincent Kompany decided to give space, time, playing time and a dream debut to one of the youngsters from his own academy: Filip Pavic, born in 2010.
THE MOMENT OF THE DEBUT
Emotions were clearly visible on the young German centre-back’s face as, in the 72nd minute of the match, he replaced his teammate Stanisic and took up his position at the heart of the Bavarian defence, whilst Kim Min-jae was shifted to the left flank to play as a full-back.
He played 18 minutes with diligence, touching the ball 33 times (according to real-time data from Sofascore), completing 100% of his attempted passes and winning the ball back on one occasion.
A good debut for the very young 16-year-old who, it should be noted, was born in 2010.
CAREER AND CHARACTERISTICS
Born and raised in the youth ranks of Waldperlach – a club based on the outskirts of Munich – Pavic joined Bayern Munich in 2019, at the tender age of nine, progressing through the various age groups of the Bavarian side.
Since last summer, he has been part of Bayern Munich’s Under-17s, where he has played 18 matches this season (including the Youth League), scoring twice and providing one assist.
A lanky, quick centre-back who is also capable of tackling both one-on-one situations and aerial duels with tenacity, he has already played nine matches for Germany’s Under-16 side.