Nico Schlotterbeck

Nico Cedric Schlotterbeck (German pronunciation: [ˈʃlɔtɐˌbɛk]; born 1 December 1999) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team. He is known for his aerial ability, speed, strength and aggressive tackling.^[2][3]

Nico Schlotterbeck

Schlotterbeck warming up for Borussia Dortmund in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Nico Cedric Schlotterbeck[1]
Date of birth	(1999-12-01) 1 December 1999 (age 25)[1]
Place of birth	Waiblingen, Germany
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Borussia Dortmund
Number	4
Youth career
0000–2007	SG Weinstadt
2007–2014	Stuttgarter Kickers
2014–2015	VfR Aalen
2015–2017	Karlsruher SC
2017–2018	SC Freiburg
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2020	SC Freiburg II	25	(2)
2019–2022	SC Freiburg	49	(4)
2020–2021	→ Union Berlin (loan)	16	(1)
2022–	Borussia Dortmund	84	(6)
International career‡
2017	Germany U18	1	(0)
2017–2018	Germany U19	2	(0)
2018	Germany U20	3	(0)
2019–2021	Germany U21	13	(3)
2022–	Germany	20	(0)
Medal record Representing  Germany UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 2021 Hungary–Slovenia
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:26, 30 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 08:56, 24 March 2025 (UTC)

Club career

SC Freiburg

Schlotterbeck debuted for SC Freiburg on 9 March 2019, coming on as a half-time substitute for Philipp Lienhart in the 2–1 home win against Hertha BSC.^[4] In his final match for Freiburg, the club lost the DFB-Pokal Final on penalties but Schlotterbeck was awarded the man of the match.^[5]

Loan to Union Berlin

On 31 July 2020, Schlotterbeck joined Union Berlin on a one-year loan.^[6]

Borussia Dortmund

On 2 May 2022, Borussia Dortmund announced the signing of Schlotterbeck on a five-year deal, starting from the 2022–23 season.^[7] He joined for a reported €25 million transfer fee.^[8] He would almost win the league with Dortmund in his first season, but merely became runners-up due to goal difference. In the 2023–24 season, he achieved the highest tackling success rate in the Bundesliga at 71%, in addition to winning possession over 240 times, he also played a crucial role in his club's qualification to the Champions League final alongside fellow centre-back Mats Hummels.^[9]

International career

Schlotterbeck got his debut call-up to the Germany national team under coach Hansi Flick for FIFA World Cup qualification in September 2021.^[10] He made his debut against Israel in a friendly on 27 March 2022.^[11] Later that year, on 10 November, he was named in the 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.^[12]

Schlotterbeck was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.^[13]

Personal life

Schlotterbeck is the nephew of former professional footballer Niels Schlotterbeck, who played for Freiburg.^[14] His older brother, Keven, is a professional footballer who plays for Bavarian side FC Augsburg.^[15] Schlotterbeck's cousin, Sandrine, appeared on the seventh series of the German edition of Love Island in 2022.^[16]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 30 March 2025^[17][2]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			DFB-Pokal		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
SC Freiburg II	2018–19	Regionalliga Südwest	24	2	—		—		24	2
	2019–20	Regionalliga Südwest	1	0	—		—		1	0
	Total		25	2	—		—		25	2
SC Freiburg	2018–19	Bundesliga	4	0	0	0	—		4	0
	2019–20	Bundesliga	13	0	1	0	—		14	0
	2021–22	Bundesliga	32	4	6	0	—		38	4
	Total		49	4	7	0	—		56	4
Union Berlin (loan)	2020–21	Bundesliga	16	1	1	1	—		17	2
Borussia Dortmund	2022–23	Bundesliga	28	4	3	0	8[a]	0	39	4
	2023–24	Bundesliga	33	2	3	0	12[a]	0	48	2
	2024–25	Bundesliga	23	0	2	0	12[a]	0	37	0
	Total		84	6	8	0	32	0	124	6
Career total			174	13	16	1	32	0	222	14

1. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 23 March 2025^[17]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Germany	2022	8	0
	2023	3	0
	2024	7	0
	2025	2	0
Total		20	0

Honours

SC Freiburg

• DFB-Pokal runner-up: 2021–22^[18]

Borussia Dortmund

• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2023–24^[19]

Germany U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2021^[20]

Individual

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2021^[21]
• Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2021–22,^[22] 2022–23,^[23] 2024–25^[24]
• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2021–22^[25]
• Bundesliga Player of the Month: March 2025^[26]
• VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2024–25^[27]