Aleksandar Pavlovic is rewarded by national coach Julian Nagelsmann for his excellent debut season at FC Bayern Munich with a nomination for the provisional European Championship squad. The 20-year-old midfielder is part of the national soccer team’s squad for this summer’s home tournament, which was announced on Monday evening in the RTL program “Exclusiv? “The Star Magazine” announced. Presenter Frauke Ludowig (60) wore a jersey with his name on the show.
Not in a Manuel Neuer jersey, but with professional tools, the social media roofer Chiara announced the German number one’s participation in the European Championship a few hours later.
The third nomination went to a Dortmund professional on Tuesday morning. Niclas Füllkrug has long since given up the nickname “ugly bird” that he once gave himself. However, the Borussia Dortmund striker became an early bird in the assembly line nomination for the home European Championship. In the morning radio show on WDR’s 1live, the 31-year-old was issued with a ticket for the home European Championship early on Tuesday. “I get goosebumps when I think about it,” said the football professional, who was connected by telephone, looking ahead to the tournament in a few weeks. “It makes me so proud.”
Füllkrug said that the nomination was no longer a surprise for him. Nagelsmann had already signaled this to him during the international matches against France and the Netherlands. “We talked in private for a long time at the last course,” said the striker. The national coach described what he expected from Füllkrug at the European Championships. “If he’s having these conversations and you’re not on the fence, you should understand that he’s planning on you.”
Pavlovic is still waiting for his first international match
The German Football Association (DFB) continued its unusual nomination practice. Defender Nico Schlotterbeck from Borussia Dortmund had previously been announced as European Championship players on Sunday evening on the ARD “Tagesschau” and defender Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen in a social media clip by geriatric nurse Rashid Hamid.
The DFB accompanies this news on its Instagram account. More nominations are expected Tuesday and Wednesday. The official presentation of the European Championship squad will follow on Thursday (1 p.m.) in the branch of general sponsor VW in Berlin.
Pavlovic started this season at FC Bayern in the defensive midfield position, appearing in 18 Bundesliga games (2 goals) and three times in the Champions League. However, the Munich native has not yet played for the senior national team. Nagelsmann appointed him for the first time in March. However, an infection prevented him from making his debut in the games against France (2:0) and the Netherlands (2:1).
Pavlovic could also have played for the national team of European Championship participant Serbia, but chose Germany. Nagelsmann recently described him as a promising player for the 2026 World Cup. He could now make his debut in the European Championship tests on June 3rd in Nuremberg against Ukraine or four days later in Mönchengladbach against Greece.
With Pavlovic’s nomination confirmation, his Munich club colleague Leon Goretzka’s chances at the European Championships continue to decline. The 29-year-old was surprisingly no longer nominated by Nagelsmann in March, but was recently hoping for a comeback again.
Tah surprised with cake
The DFB had already created unusual images with Tah’s online nomination that morning. Geriatric nurse Hamid, who is known for his social media appearances, presents the senior citizen known as Grandma Lotti with a European Championship jersey with the number 93 in an Instagram clip – a cake with a picture of regular defender Tah was hidden in a box. Neuer’s number one was hammered onto an orange board by Chiara using a roof shingle.
The EM ticket for Neuer is no surprise. Nagelsmann is planning on using the 38-year-old as the starting goalkeeper for the home tournament. However, the captain of FC Bayern Munich played his last international match at the World Cup in December 2022 in a 4-2 win against Costa Rica in Qatar. Shortly afterwards he suffered a complicated leg fracture while skiing, which forced him to take a long break.
The DFB comeback planned in March during the tests in France (2:0) and against the Netherlands (2:1) did not materialize at short notice due to a muscle injury. Neuer is likely to play his 118th international match for Germany in the European Championship test on June 3rd against Ukraine in Nuremberg.
