# Nico Schlotterbeck

Nico Cedric Schlotterbeck (German pronunciation:; born 1 December 1999) is a German professional footballer who plays primarily 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.

## 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. In his final match for Freiburg, the club lost the DFB-Pokal Final on penalties but Schlotterbeck was awarded the man of the match.

#### Loan to Union Berlin

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

### Borussia Dortmund

On 2 May 2022, Borussia Dortmund announced the signing of Schlotterbeck on a five-year deal, starting from the 2022–23 season. He joined for a reported €25 million transfer fee. 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.

## 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. He made his debut against Israel in a friendly on 27 March 2022. Later that year, on 10 November, he was named in the 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Schlotterbeck was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.

## Personal life

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

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 15 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | DFB-Pokal | DFB-Pokal | Europe | Europe | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| SC Freiburg II | 2018–19 | Regionalliga Südwest | 24 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 2 |
| SC Freiburg II | 2019–20 | Regionalliga Südwest | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| SC Freiburg II | Total | Total | 25 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 25 | 2 |
| SC Freiburg | 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| SC Freiburg | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 |
| SC Freiburg | 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 32 | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 4 |
| SC Freiburg | Total | 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 | 0 | 39 | 4 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 33 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 48 | 2 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Borussia Dortmund | Total | Total | 83 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 123 | 6 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 173 | 13 | 16 | 1 | 32 | 0 | 221 | 14 |
* 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Champions League

### International

    As of match played 19 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Germany | 2022 | 8 | 0 |
| Germany | 2023 | 3 | 0 |
| Germany | 2024 | 7 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 18 | 0 |

## Honours

SC Freiburg
* DFB-Pokal runner-up: 2021–22
Borussia Dortmund
* UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2023–24
Germany U21
* UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2021
Individual
* UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2021
* Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2021–22, 2022–23
* kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2021–22