Augsburg’s Kevin Schlotterbeck has crossed paths with his younger brother Nico on several occasions in the Bundesliga before. The scene before kick-off against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday afternoon in the Bundesliga still has a unique feel to it. Kevin – who captained Augsburg in the absence of Geoffrey Gouveleeu – had to face Nico in the pre-match coin toss.
While Kevin became Augsburg’s new leader, Nico also wore the captain’s armband for Dortmund in the absence of Emre Can. The two brothers have clearly had very different career trajectories since their days at Freiburg Academy. Nico went on to become a sensational Borussia Dortmund transfer, a player worth €55 million and an international with 23 caps for the German national team.
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Kevin – although he remains a fan favorite in Germany and has even scored more goals than his younger brother in two of the past three Bundesliga seasons – is still a €6m centre-back who has only represented Germany at the Olympics so far. During his time in the Bundesliga, Kevin has been committed to providing gritty performances for relegation teams such as Union Berlin, Bochum and Augsburg.
As usual, Kevin showed no trace of jealousy when talking about Nico.
Keven Schlotterbeck faces Nico in the center circle
“That’s something special on defense,“When asked what it was like meeting Nico in front of 81,365 fans in the mixed zone at Signal Iduna Park, Kevin said: “Of course, these are all things I dreamed of when I was a kid.
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“You didn’t really think about it during those 90 minutes, although you naturally caught a glimpse of your brother out of the corner of your eye,“Kevin continued. I remain proud of what he has accomplished in recent years and what he is currently accomplishing.
“You can see he’s a top centre-back“Kevin concluded.”One of the best in Germany. In my opinion this is one of the best in the world.“
GGFN | Peter Weiss