Nico Schlotterbeck
Completed 92% of his passes in the 2023 Champions League group stage, the highest rate of any defender in the competition's history.
Born 1999 (age 27)·German footballer·Birthday: December 1·Generation Z
Biography
Nico Schlotterbeck completed 317 of 345 pass attempts during the 2023 UEFA Champions League group stage for Borussia Dortmund. The 92% success rate set a tournament record for a defender across six matches. He joined Dortmund from SC Freiburg on July 1, 2022, for a transfer fee of €20 million. Schlotterbeck made his senior debut for Germany on March 26, 2022, in a 2–0 victory over Israel. He led the 2021-22 Bundesliga season in interceptions with 187 while playing for Freiburg. Schlotterbeck scored the opening goal in Dortmund's 4–1 victory over SC Freiburg on September 16, 2023, a 25-meter strike. His defensive partnership with Mats Hummels conceded 1.1 goals per game in the 2023-24 season, the third-best record in the league. He started every match for Germany at UEFA Euro 2024, averaging 8.5 ball recoveries per game. His playing style redefines the central defender's role as a primary build-up architect.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Nico was born in 1999, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Nico Was Born
The biggest hits of 1999
#1 Movie
Star Wars: Episode I
Best Picture
American Beauty
#1 TV Show
ER
Nico's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1999Born
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2004Started school
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2012Became a teenager
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Could drive
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2017Could vote
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Turned 21
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 27 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Set UEFA Champions League record for pass completion (92%) by a defender in 2023.
- Led the Bundesliga in interceptions (187) for the 2021-22 season with SC Freiburg.
- Became a starting central defender for the German national team at Euro 2024.
Did You Know?
His brother, Keven Schlotterbeck, is also a professional Bundesliga defender.
He is an accomplished pianist and often plays to focus before matches.
Schlotterbeck wears jersey number 4 in homage to his childhood idol, Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos.
“A clean sheet starts with the first pass, not the last tackle.”
