Strahinja Pavlovic jokes about the comparisons with former Milan defensive hero Jaap Stam and his imposing physique. ‘Opponents just need to look at me to be a bit afraid…’
The central defender was a huge investment for this summer, costing €18m plus another €2m in performance-related bonuses to secure him from RB Salzburg.
He impressed playing for Serbia at EURO 2024 and having just turned 23 in June, already has 38 senior caps at international level, even scoring four goals.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sat beside him at the presentation press conference and this was no coincident for the young defender.
“He was fundamental for me. After the first contact, I knew straight away that Milan is a great club and the more I spoke to Zlatan, the more I was convinced to come here. I realised how much they wanted me,” said Pavlovic.
Ibra described him in this same press conference as “a beast” and it is a description Pavlovic is happy with.
“I am an aggressive defender. It doesn’t change much if I play in three at the back or four, I am here to give 200 per cent. Coming to Italy was the right choice for me at this moment, I know that I can improve a lot here.”
Stam comparison delights Pavlovic
He does, however, insist it was a coincidence he is wearing the same jersey number as iconic defender of the past Stam.
“I chose 31 because it was the number I already wore in Salzburg, but Stam was always a hero for me and I found out later he wore that number here. Many compare us, perhaps because of our hair, but aside from that we are both very aggressive. As Zlatan says, opponents just need to look at me to be a bit afraid…
“Milan is a dream come true and when you come to a club like Milan, you have to dream big.”
Conceding cheap goals was perhaps the biggest problem for the side last season and the new arrival has been paying close attention.
“I watched several of their games and saw the goals that were conceded. The whole team has to work together with unity, both in attacking and defending phases.”
There is a strong derby atmosphere in the city of Milan with Inter, but Pavlovic assures he’s seen the fieriest of them all.
“I played in the Belgrade derby and immediately learned what it means to handle that kind of pressure.”