Borussia Dortmund star Nico Schlotterbeck made his return from injury today against Paderborn and later expressed his delight at finally resuming work.
The German was slotted right back into the XI by head coach Niko Kovac and helped the side register a clean sheet over the promoted side on home turf.
Speaking to the press after the game, Schlotterbeck revealed how much he missed playing football and the adrenaline rush he felt upon returning to the field after nearly three months:
"I missed it so much. It’s a bit of an addiction we’re chasing. Soccer is an adrenaline rush. It was a serious injury, and I’m just glad to be back now."
Schlotterbeck delivered a commanding display against Paderborn, winning over 70% of his challenges and completing over 90% of his passes too.
His spectacular display even earned him a SofaScore rating of 7.8, the joint-highest for a Dortmund in the match alongside Fabio Silva.
The 26-year-old centre-back also revealed how he'd been working towards his return over the last couple of weeks.
"I’d been working with the ball for nearly four weeks and rejoined team training a week ago. We just didn’t communicate that publicly because I preferred not to. The coach asked me yesterday if I felt ready to go. I gave him the thumbs up, and that's when I knew I’d be playing."
He sustained an ankle injury during Germany's second group stage encounter at the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Ivory Coast on 21 June and missed their remainder of the campaign.
Given the extent of his injury, Schlotterbeck had also missed the first five games for Borussia Dortmund this season before finally returning to the fold today.
He also added that Dortmund's medical staff had also given him the green light:
"I had their full confidence and really looked forward to the game."
Head coach Niko Kovac subbed him off after 76 minutes for Ramy Bensebaini, cautious against overloading the player with minutes right upon returning to fitness and risking another injury.
Schlotterbeck, who signed a contract extension in March this year, was one of their key cornerstones of a resolute defense that conceded the least number of goals in the Bundesliga last term.
In addition to his defensive qualities, the Germany international had also bagged five goals to emerge as their unlikely attacking threat, especially from set-pieces.
Now with him and Bensebaini both back, Dortmund's defense could finally find some stability after looking shambolic in some of their recent games.
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