Nico Schlotterbeck

The 23-year-old defender has been under contract with Borussia Dortmund since July 2022. He previously played for Sportclub Freiburg and made 39 appearances (4 goals / 5 assists) for BVB across all competitions by June 2023 (deadline for all information).

'I made a conscious decision to take this step - for the club, the team and the fans. Because I'm a player who needs the fans. They were brutally missing during the coronavirus period. The Bundesliga has the best fans in the world. That's why it's fun to play in any stadium. And in Dortmund, there are more than 80,000. That's crazy,‘ he told the members’ magazine Borussia in September 2022, after opening a new chapter in a career that had already taken off in Dortmund just a few weeks earlier. He became European champion with the German U21 team in June 2021, made his debut for the senior national team in March 2022 and played in the cup final against Leipzig with his former club Freiburg in May 2022 (losing on penalties).

'Nico didn't choose the best offer from the many clubs that were interested, but deliberately chose BVB in order to continue his sporting development here. We are delighted that we were able to convince Nico of our path and that he has made a clear commitment to Borussia Dortmund by signing a long-term contract,’ emphasised sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

Schlotterbeck's commitment to BVB

He has quickly arrived in Dortmund. His tackle rate of 67 per cent was the best of any regular in the Bundesliga in 2022/23. He was also one of the top ten professionals who won the ball for their team most often. But defending is not his only strength. The 23-year-old was on the ball very often (88 times per 90 minutes; BVB's best figure), played good vertical and diagonal passes (pass rate 89%) and is a real weapon at set-pieces. He often lurks at the far post for free-kicks: either to finish himself - or to cross. In 2022/23, he scored four goals and provided five assists, which is a brilliant haul for a centre-back.

Nico Schlotterbeck comes from a family of footballers. ‘I used to play tennis too - and I was actually talented,’ he revealed at Borussia, ‘but at some point I had to choose between football and tennis. It was a very easy decision for me.’ His uncle Niels played for several clubs in the Bundesliga in the 1980s and 1990s (Stuttgarter Kickers, MSV Duisburg, Hansa Rostock), and he and his older brother Keven (26) played together in the Bundesliga in Freiburg. ‘My parents try to keep us grounded. And they emphasise that we're not better people just because we're people of the public eye."

Schlotterbeck's childhood

From the age of eight to 15, Nico played football for Stuttgarter Kickers, but was not selected for the U16s. Instead, he took a step back, playing for VfR Aalen for a year and then for Karlsruher SC, for whom he played in the U17 and U19 Bundesliga. In the summer of 2017, he moved to SC Freiburg. There he initially played for the U19s and made his Bundesliga debut in a 2:1 home win against Hertha BSC on 9 March 2019. In the summer of 2020, Nico followed the same path as his brother Keven the year before: He was loaned out to Union Berlin and - usually as the left back in a back three - played a major role in Union qualifying for the UEFA Conference League in seventh place as the team's most combative player. Instead of Europe, however, he returned to Freiburg as agreed. At the end of the season, they finished sixth in the league and reached the cup final.

Nico's great role model was Fabio Cannavaro. ‘The 2006 World Cup was the first one I watched. He was the most eye-catching player in my position and became my role model back then. In previous years, the top centre-backs in Germany were Mats Hummels, Niklas Süle and Jerome Boateng. I also looked up to them. I'm really happy that I play with two of those three.’