Schlotterbeck brothers Nico and Keven face off as captains
The Bundesliga enjoyed a rarity on Saturday when Nico Schlotterbeck and Keven Schlotterbeck took to the field as opposing captains in Borussia Dortmund's game at home to Augsburg.
There is one common reason Dortmund and Augsburg are among the Bundesliga's best for defending - they both boast a Schlotterbeck in their side!
It's a name that brings to mind a commanding presence at the back, composure on the ball and leading by example, as the pair showed as they, in a unique moment, lined up against one another as captains on Saturday afternoon at Signal Iduna Park.
Watch: The best of both Schlotterbecks
Keven, 28, has shown sheer dependability since Manuel Baum made him captain in the injury absence of Jeffrey Gouweleeuw as one of his first acts as Augsburg coach, not missing a single minute of Bundesliga football since December as the Bavarians have marched up the Bundesliga table to ninth in a good run of form.
Keven's 67 percent of challenges won this season puts him second only to Chrislain Matsima in the Augsburg ranks. He has also been striving to add to his 10 Bundesliga career goals, with the most headed efforts at the club this season (eight) and was unfortunate to miss a penalty against Leipzig on Matchday 25.
Watch: Keven strikes against Gladbach in 2024/25
The younger Nico has meanwhile become a key pillar of the defensive solidity Niko Kovač has instilled in Dortmund over the past year. The 58 percent of challenges he has won this season is the joint best at the Black and Yellows along with Jobe Bellingham.
The 26-year-old's eye for a pinpoint long pass is renowned, with 58 percent of those he has hit from open play finding a team-mate. The 23-time Germany international has matched his personal record of four goals this season, including the opener in the latest instalment of Der Klassiker.
Watch: BVB's 'Schlotti' flexing all-round prowess
Nico's Dortmund were hoping to take a step closer to securing a top-four finish in the Matchday 26 clash, and they did just that, clinching a comforable 2-0 victory courtesy of goals from Karim Adeyemi and Luca Reggiani.
But despite the result - which constituted Augsburg's second Bundesliga defeat in a row - Keven still had a warm smile on his face as the teams left the pitch.
Watch: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Augsburg
With over 300 appearances between them, the Schlotterbecks are just one pair of many famous Bundesliga brothers, including:
Klaus and Thomas Allofs (802 appearances; 424/378)
Ditmar and Michael Jakobs (689 appearances; 493/196)
Friedhelm and Wolfgang Funkel (625 appearances; 320/305)
Karl-Heinz and Michael Rummenigge (619 appearances; 310/309)
Bernd and Karlheinz Förster (563 appearances; 291/272)
Halil and Hamit Altıntop (543 appearances; 351/192)
Uli and Dieter Hoeneß (538 appearances; 250/288)
Erwin and Helmut Kremers (534 appearances; 261/273)
Lars and Sven Bender (521 appearances; 256/265)
Niko and Robert Kovač (488 appearances; 241/247)
Kevin-Prince and Jérôme Boateng (477 appearances; 163/314)
Sami and Rani Khedira (386 appearances; 107/279)
Maximilian and Johannes Eggestein (382 appearances; 309/73)
Mario and Felix Götze (341 appearances; 335/6) – a third brother, Fabian, never played a Bundesliga game
Joel and Marvin Matip (306 appearances; 194/112)
Jürgen, Klaus and Stephan Täuber (278 appearances; 123/137/18) - the only trio of brothers
Toni and Felix Kroos (253 appearances; 173/80)
Leroy and Sidi Sané (201 appearances; 200/1)
Lukas and Felix Nmecha (186 appearances; 69/117)
Dietmar and Matthias Hamann (164 appearances; 106/58)
Benjamin and Florian Hübner (148 appearances; 122/26)
Julian and Jonathan de Guzman (130 appearances; 78/52)
Antonio Rüdiger and Sahr Senesie (90 appearances; 66/24)
Timothy and Malik Tillman (59 appearances; 35/24)
Brenden and Paxten Aaronson (44 appearances; 30/14)
Data correct as of 13 March 2026
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