Central defender Nico Schlotterbeck from Borussia Dortmund is part of national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s squad for the European Football Championship. “Incredibly grateful to be nominated for the upcoming European Championships in our own country!!!,” wrote the 24-year-old on Instagram that evening.
The ARD “Tagesschau” had previously reported on the nomination with reference to a DFB source. According to information from the dpa, Schlotterbeck will be part of the squad for the home tournament, which the national coach will officially announce on Thursday in Berlin. The DFB commented on the Tagesschau’s Instagram post with three hearts in black, red and gold.
Nagelsmann rewarded Schlotterbeck for his recent excellent performances at Borussia Dortmund, including reaching the final of the Champions League on June 1st against Real Madrid. The central defender last played in the 4-1 defeat against Japan in Wolfsburg in September 2023 – the last game under national coach Hansi Flick. He had never been nominated by Nagelsmann.
Hummel’s personnel open
It remains unclear whether Nagelsmann will also bring Schlotterbeck’s partner in the BVB defense, Mats Hummels, back into the DFB team. The 35-year-old veteran was surprisingly no longer taken into account by the national coach in March for the European Championship tests in France (2:0) and against the Netherlands (2:1).
Nagelsmann justified this by saying that he relied on Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen and Antonio Rüdiger from Real Madrid in the center of defense and did not trust Hummels to take on the role as their backup. Instead, the national coach nominated Robin Koch from Eintracht Frankfurt and the Stuttgart newcomer Waldemar Anton. After outstanding performances, calls for Hummels to be reactivated have recently become louder.
Schlotterbeck has played eleven international matches so far, but has often left an unhappy impression. At the 2022 World Cup, he was involved in the 1-2 false start against Japan, and he has also taken several penalties. The 1.91 meter tall defensive player is valued for his good opening of the game.
Schlotterbeck comes later
Schlotterbeck will join the DFB entourage late in preparation for the European Championship. Due to the final of the premier class, like the seeded Real stars Rüdiger and Toni Kroos as well as his Dortmund colleague Niclas Füllkrug, he also missed the first of two European Championship tests on June 3rd in Nuremberg against Ukraine.
