Bayern's Aleksandar Pavlovic names his footballing inspirations

After coming through the youth ranks at Bayern Munich, Aleksandar Pavlovic has established himself as a regular starter in defensive midfield at the age of 21.

In an interview with FC Bayern’s club magazine, 51, Pavlovic was asked which players in his position have impressed him the most, and he went on to single out Manchester City’s Rodri and Spanish legend Sergio Busquets.

“In recent years, Rodri has defined the number six position at Manchester City and he even won the Ballon d'Or. Rodri is a world-class defensive midfielder, even if he has unfortunately had some bad luck with injuries recently," said Pavlovic. 

"Sergio Busquets was also a real role model for me as a child. He was indispensable in that position at Barcelona for years. Busquets was very strong both with and without the ball, was always available and always had one eye on his surroundings. He was also very solid defensively and put in a lot of legwork on the pitch. A real figurehead.”