An interview with Strahinja Pavlovic, by Callum McFadden for WFi.
You joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2022 and won the Austrian Bundesliga in your first season at the club. How did it feel to win your first league title in football and seal qualification for the UEFA Champions League?
“Of course I was happy that I was able to win titles in my first year at Red Bull Salzburg. It was a difficult season with many hurdles. But I’m very proud of it because you play football to win titles.
“Another very important achievement that winning the championship title brings is that it ensures that we qualified again for the group stage of the Champions League.
“I cannot wait to experience Champions League football.”
You started your career at Partizan Belgrade and won the Serbian Cup in 2019 against Red Star Belgrade in the final. What are your memories of that success and your time at Partizan as a whole?
“That was an incredible time. I was only 17 years old when I was put into the team at the club and to win the cup with Partizan Belgrade was a wonderful moment for me at such a young age.
“That is definitely one of my career highlights so far. I am still in contact with many people at the club to this day and I watch every match on TV if I can. I am always rooting for Partizan Belgrade as a fan.”
You moved to Monaco in 2020 and stayed at the club for two seasons. How would you reflect on your time in Monte Carlo?
“In retrospect, this time was very important in my career.
“It was my first time moving to a club abroad when I was a young player and I never thought that it might not work out.
“Overall, I played very little there and that is exactly why I had a few loan experiences.
“Even though I did not play too often, I do not reflect on my time at the club badly because it enabled me to grow as a player because I saw what you have to do in order to succeed at the highest level.”
You have represented Serbia on over 20 occasions to date. What are your favourite memories from your time with the national team so far?
”A good question!
“Of course, my participation in the World Cup in Qatar was a great experience. It was a pity, however, that we as a team did not offer our best performance in this tournament.
“That is why I prefer to remember the game in Lisbon against Portugal, where we still qualified for this World Cup with a goal in the 91st minute. That moment was incredible!”
Finally, Strahinja, who would you consider the best players that you have played for and your toughest opponents at club and at international level?
”I would describe Dusan Tadic as the best teammate so far. I play with him in the Serbian team. It’s incredible how he reads a game and what he does while doing it. He has had an incredible career so far and he is still performing at such a high level.
“Probably my strongest opponent was Bernardo Silva. I had to play against him in that last World Cup qualifier, which we just won. He was really hard to stop, a great footballer.”
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