For almost a week now, Serbian center-back Strahinja Pavlovic has been a new player for Milan. The defender arrived in the city and stayed there, not joining the American tour but training at Milanello with the other internationals returning from vacation. Today, the official club profiles published Pavlovic's first interview as a Milan player.
Here are his words, as relayed via Milan News:
"My name? Strahinja means 'fearless.' I like my name; it describes me well."
On which former Rossoneri defender inspired him:
"There have been great defenders like Maldini, Stam, and Nesta. They were fantastic, but unfortunately, I was too young to follow them. But for me, those three were incredible."
On Serbian defenders like Ivanovic, Vidic, Mihajlovic... who inspired him the most:
"For me, Vidic. I think he was an outstanding defender due to his style of play. I watched him when I was younger and always followed him. He was my inspiration."
On Novak Djokovic, a Milan fan and Serbian legend:
"Unfortunately, I haven't met him yet, but I hope he comes to San Siro soon because I know he's a big Milan fan. He has done great things and has a great personality. I like him a lot."
On his presence in a locker room, Pavlovic said:
"It's very important to have a winning character, and I pay a lot of attention to this aspect."
On the possibility of reuniting with Noah Okafor:
"I'm obviously very happy to play with Noah again. We played together for two seasons and have a great relationship."
On wearing number 31, Stam's number:
"He's a legend, and I'm happy to wear number 31. It was also my number at Salzburg; I love this number."
On his character off the field:
"I'm quite normal. I'm like all the other guys: a normal guy who loves playing football and plays with joy, passion, and emotion."
On the importance of family in his journey, Pavlovic offered these words:
"My family is very important to me. My mother, father, and younger brother have always been by my side over the years, and I'm grateful to them for life."
On the atmosphere at San Siro when he played with Salzburg:
"I will never forget the moment I stepped onto the field for warm-up. It was a very warm environment. They were singing that famous song: 'Sarà perché ti amo,' I think. I liked it a lot, even as an opponent."
On how he sees himself in Paulo Fonseca's style of play:
"We’ll see. I'm ready to fight and see what the coach expects from me. I'm ready to do whatever he asks."
On his journey in football:
"I remember when I was little, around 3 or 4 years old, my father played football, and I always wanted to go watch him in action. I started training at 6 years old, and it was love at first sight. It’s been a long journey, and now I'm here. I'm really happy and proud."
