bundesliga

Assured Nico Schlotterbeck proving ever-more vital to Borussia Dortmund and Germany

12.03.2025

As each season passes, Borussia Dortmund and Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck continues to go from strength-to-strength, and with the 25-year-old commanding a vital position in the Black-and-Yellows set-up, the defender appears one-day destined for the role of team leader.

Now in his third season with BVB, the player affectionately known as ‘Schlotti’ by teammates and fans alike has amassed over 120 appearances for the German giants. After coming agonisingly close to winning the Bundesliga in his first season at Signal Iduna Park following a high-profile move from Freiburg, the Germany international just missed out on major silverware against last term when Dortmund went down to Real Madrid in the 2024 UEFA Champions League final.

However, with Germany chasing UEFA Nations League honours, with Italy up next in the quarter-finals, Schlotterbeck’s admirable rise may yet prove triumphant in terms of a trophy come June.

Nico Schlotterbeck (l.) has made 35 appearances in all competitions for BVB this season. - DFL/Getty Images/Simon Hofmann

"I'm trying to take on the next step, to take on more responsibility," Dortmund’s versatile defender said last season. After 21 starts in what has been a mixed campaign to date for BVB, the versatile Schlotterbeck has been one of the more consistent players in the Borussia ranks. Along with fulfilling his main role as a centre-back in a back four or in a defensive three, he has also appeared four times on the left for the five-time Bundesliga champions.

The 6’3” star has on average been in possession 108 times per 90 minutes across the campaign, which is the third highest rank in the Bundesliga, while he has committed just 15 fouls in his 21 top-tier games this season. As evinced by his two assists (both for Jamie Gittens) Schlotterbeck boasts an exceptional long-passing game, with the player able to feed cross-field or direct passes in behind, sometimes a key in unlocking defences. Indeed, the Dortmund defender boasts the second-most long passes from open play, 53 per cent of which were successful.

Watch: Captain Schlotterbeck assisted a Jamie Gittens goal against Bayern this season

“I can hit the ball a really long way with my left foot; that's what my former coaches always said,” BVB’s No. 4 - who has captained Dortmund twice in the Bundesliga this term - explained. “I like playing balls behind the back line and I like playing high-risk passes. That's how I play. Obviously, I try to minimise the mistakes, but I think they're inevitable.”

Coming from a football-playing family – Schlotterbeck’s brother Keven is currently at Augsburg and was once Nico’s teammate at Freiburg while uncle Niels plied his trade at Duisburg, Rostock, and Stuttgarter Kickers – Dortmund’s defensive rock also has the ability to weigh in with a goal, netting 11 times in his 147 Bundesliga games to date. However, the ex-Union Berlin defender insists it is tackling (Schlotterbeck is a specialist in slide-tackling) that gives him the greatest buzz of all on a football pitch.

Schlotterbeck (r.) is one of the Bundesliga's best tacklers. - IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Once Union's top tackler (Schlotterbeck won 63 per cent of his tackles with the capital club in 2020/21), he previously said: “Making a good tackle is sometimes even better than scoring a goal, especially in home games because I think tackles are appreciated more (in Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park) than in other stadiums. People often remember them, so I enjoy making a good tackle as the fans love it too.”

Having appeared 18 times for Germany since making his senior bow for his country in March 2022, 'Schlotti' has enjoyed major tournament experience at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as well as UEFA Euro 2024 on home soil. Naming current Liverpool FC defender Virgil van Dijk as one of the players he most admires, the Dortmund player delighted in exchanging shirts with the Dutch behemoth when Germany played the Netherlands twice last October.

“I've followed him for a few years now because he obviously plays in my position and I think he's a great player who has achieved a lot,” Schlotterbeck said of the former English Premier League and Champions League winner.

Virgil van Dijk (above left) and Schlotterbeck (r.) check on Nathan Ake during Germany's recent Nations League game against the Netherlands. - IMAGO

For now, it is the Borussia defender who is eager to take his own game to the next level, starting with helping Dortmund to achieve a European finish to 2024/25 under recently appointed head coach Niko Kovač.