Is Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck Germany's best centre-back?
With Borussia Dortmund announcing that several first-team regulars will depart in summer 2026, the fact that Nico Schlotterbeck has signed a long-term contract extension at the club speaks even louder volumes.
Why were BVB desperate to keep him when Julian Brandt, Niklas Süle and Salih Özcan have been allowed to leave? We take a closer look.
On the face of it, the decision must have been an easy from Dortmund's perspective. Centre-backs who are comfortable in possession, can build from the back, are robust in the challenges and offer a goalscoring threat are unicorns in the game. The fact that he is also naturally left-footed adds extra sprinkles and rainbows.
But it is not just that Schlotterbeck has those attributes, it is that he excels at them too.
No nonsense
Let’s start with the basics a defender needs: stopping attackers. Standing at 6’3” (1.91m), Schlotterbeck is a physically imposing figure – and he puts it to good use.
The 26-year-old has won an impressive 59.38 percent of all his duels so far in 2025/26, as well as making 114 ball recoveries, putting him ahead of BVB and Germany team-mates - and fellow centre-backs - Waldemar Anton (56.83 percent / 132), Süle (56.60 / 22).
Jonathan Tah, Schlotterbeck's usual partner in defence for Germany, is marginally better in terms of tackles won (61.38 percent) this season, but the Bayern Munich defender has far fewer ball recoveries (79)
What does all that mean in concrete terms? Well, Dortmund have conceded 28 Bundesliga goals so far in 2025/26. Schlotterbeck has missed a total of six league games due to injury or suspension: with him in the side they let in an average of 0.95 goals per game. Without him, that rises to 1.33.
Watch: Schlotterbeck's all-round prowess
The difference is even more pronounced in the UEFA Champions League. Of the 21 goals Niko Kovač’s side conceded in Europe this season, only 13 were on Schlotterbeck’s watch.
With the Germany international on the pitch, the team let in 1.63 goals per game on overage. Without him, it was four.
“He’s a key player, a top national team player,” said Kovač of Schlotterbeck in 2025. “He’s highly valued, both within the team and by the fans. It’s not easy to make yourself popular with fans these days but he’s managed to do so by the way he plays football. Here in the Ruhr valley you need emotion and aggression. He has that.”
Watch: The best of Nico Schlotterbeck in 2025/26
Building from the back
There are brains to go with the undoubted brawn as well though. Schlotterbeck rarely gives possession away, as underlined by his pass completion rate of 87.79 percent in the Bundesliga this season.
Unlike Tah, who has a pass completion rate of over 96 percent, Schlotterbeck's are not safe, horizontal ten-yard passes to a fellow defender.
Arguably the most prized of Schlotterbeck’s gifts is his ability to play out from the back, often splitting defensive lines and the opposition press to instigate attacks. He averages nine long passes per game, of which 57 percent find their target.
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed as much last year when asked about the Dortmund defender: “He gives us outstanding build-up play, a superb will to win, and finally a left foot at the back.”
Watch: Schlotterbeck’s incredible passing range
Goal threat
The Baden-Württemberg native also poses a serious threat in the final third. Among defenders, only Bayer Leverkusen winger Alejandro Grimaldo has scored more goals this season (six) than Schlotterbeck’s single-season personal best of four (he also has one assist).
Three of those have been headers from set pieces, against Bayern Munich, Union Berlin and Werder Bremen, contributing to the fact that Dortmund are the Bundesliga leaders from dead-ball situations in 2025/26 with 10 goals from corners and four from free-kicks.
He does not just trundle forward at set pieces though. Being involved in attacks is very much part of Schlotterbeck’s game, as can be seen by his late-arriving run into the box to score against Hoffenheim on Matchday 13.
In total, Schlotterbeck has had 30 attempts at goal this season, more than any other defender in the top flight, while a league-high 16 of those have arisen from corners. He has also hit the woodowrk twice and and created nine shooting opportunities for team-mates.
Compare that to Tah (two goals / eight shots / five shooting opportunities created) Anton (two / 12 / seven), and Süle (zero / two / two), and it is clear to see that his numbers far outstrip his fellow compatriots.
Watch: Highlights of Dortmund's win against Hoffenheim
Leader
Less quantifiable but no less important is Schlotterbeck’s role in the dressing room.
The team’s vice captain, he has skippered the side on numerous occasions in the absence of Emre Can, and recently made history when facing off against his brother, Keven, at the coin toss when Dortmund played Augsburg on Matchday 26.
Watch: The Schlotterbeck brothers on their "beautiful moment"
Schlotterbeck also made headlines across Germany in December 2025 with a forthright interview in the wake of Dortmund’s 2-2 draw against Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League, calling the team “incredibly sloppy” in a match in which they twice let the lead slip.
Coaches and clubs often do not take too kindly to such public outbursts, but Kovač welcomed it: “As one of our leaders, he certainly has the right to address certain things. The fact that he, as a leader, is annoyed about the behaviour on the pitch is completely normal.”
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