Nico Cedric Schlotterbeck was born on 1 December 1999 in Weinheim, Germany. He came up through Stuttgart Kickers and Karlsruher SC's academies before joining SC Freiburg in 2018 and making his senior debut on 9 March 2019 against Hertha BSC. A 2020-21 loan at Union Berlin was a breakthrough — he became a regular starter and helped Union finish fourth in the league, with the squad ranking among the top defensive units that season.
In May 2022 Borussia Dortmund signed him for around €25 million on a five-year contract. In 2023-24 he posted the highest tackling success rate in the Bundesliga at 71% and was a key piece of Dortmund's Champions League final run. In 2024-25 he was named to the Bundesliga Team of the Season before injury kept him out of the FIFA Club World Cup.
For Germany he made his senior debut on 27 March 2022, was named in the 2022 World Cup squad and selected for Euro 2024. At U21 level he won the 2021 European Championship and was named to the tournament's team.
His older brother Keven plays professional football for FC Augsburg, while their uncle Niels Schlotterbeck previously played for Freiburg.
Standing 1.91 m and left-footed, Schlotterbeck is built around aerial dominance, pace, aggressive duelling and ball-playing comfort — exactly the kind of modern, left-sided centre-back Dortmund and Germany have built around in recent campaigns.