Waldemar Anton: From Stuttgart Booed to Dortmund's Defensive Backbone
Waldemar Anton heard the boos long before he saw the ball.
Every touch at the Mercedes-Benz Arena came with a chorus of resentment from the VfB Stuttgart stands that once celebrated him. Two years on from his abrupt move to Borussia Dortmund, the anger has not cooled. It has sharpened. It follows him like a shadow.
He barely blinked.
On a tense Saturday evening, in a narrow 1-0 win that felt more like a wrestling match than a football game, Anton’s attention drifted only once from his own defensive trench work – to his old friend Serhou Guirassy.
When Guirassy trudged off in the 74th minute, he did it too slowly. Too casually for the new rules. Fabio Silva had to wait a full 60 seconds before he could come on. Dortmund were down to 10 men, and Niko Kovac raged on the touchline at the needless risk.
Anton didn’t let it pass. The two have known each other for years, and as he said recently, they shout at each other “in every game” if needed. On Saturday, the message was clear: get off quicker, don’t put us in trouble. Friendship off the pitch, blunt honesty on it.
While the argument flickered, his real work never stopped.
The boos, the burden – and the backbone
Back at the club that formed him, Anton had to deal with more than just Guirassy and Stuttgart’s forwards. Every jeer was a reminder of his decision to leave. Every clearance, every duel, a chance to answer it.
Once again, nobody got past him. Once again, nobody got past Dortmund.
Under Kovac, Borussia’s defensive identity has hardened into something ruthless. Last season, they already owned the best defence in the league, conceding just 34 goals. Four matchdays into the new campaign, they have three clean sheets and sit level with Bayern Munich at the top of the defensive charts, with only two goals conceded.
Anton stands at the centre of that transformation.
His first year in Dortmund was anything but smooth. Two muscle fibre tears, almost back to back, took him out for the longest spell of his career. Rhythm gone, momentum broken, doubts inevitable. This version of Anton feels like a different player entirely.
Kovac saw it coming. Months ago, he called Anton a “total constant” at BVB. Since then, the centre-back has grown into exactly that – the fixed point in a team that has rediscovered its edge without the ball.
Kovac rarely misses a chance to underline his importance. Ahead of the Champions League opener against Villarreal, the coach laid it out in full: Anton, he said, is a leader, a player who “thinks, eats, sleeps, drinks football 24/7”, who supports his teammates, never gives up, and gives everything for the team. A role model, not just a regular starter.
Anton, for his part, has no interest in titles like “defensive leader”. He prefers to let the numbers and performances do the talking.
The Ironman at the heart of BVB
Last season, they shouted louder than any speech.
Anton missed only three of Dortmund’s 47 competitive games in 2025/26. In league and cup, he played all 35 matches from start to finish. No rotation, no load management, no complaints. Just relentless availability.
Kovac dubbed him the “Ironman”, and the label fits. Reliability has become his calling card.
Even the World Cup with Germany did not derail him. While others returned needing time to reset, Anton had one of the shortest preparation periods of any Dortmund player before the new season. It barely registered. He simply picked up where he left off – sharp, focused, in commanding form.
Yet his value stretches well beyond minutes played. He leads not with theatrical gestures but with discipline and a hard, clear mentality. He defends without fuss, without drama, but with a ferocity that opponents feel in every duel.
His anticipation has risen to an elite level. He steps out at the right moment, pinches the ball in front of strikers, and shuts down danger before it fully forms. Since Mats Hummels, no one at BVB has defended on the front foot with such intelligence and timing.
The data backs the eye test. Anton ranks among the league’s best for duel success rate, aerial wins, interceptions and clearances. He is not just part of Dortmund’s stability; he is one of the main reasons it exists.
Right now, on form, there is no better German centre-back.
From booed in Stuttgart to essential for Germany?
That status leads inevitably to the national team.
Jürgen Klopp wants Germany’s reboot to be built on a rock-solid defensive base. He needs experience, positional discipline, communication, and a defender who can drag others into the right spaces when the pressure spikes. Anton offers all of that.
He is physically and mentally at full tilt, organises the line with authority and gives younger players a clear reference point. For a coach trying to lay new foundations, those qualities are gold.
The competition, of course, is fierce. Nico Schlotterbeck brings a strong left foot and those sweeping diagonal balls that can unlock an entire half of the pitch. Over time, that profile could give him an edge in certain setups. At Bayern Munich, Jonathan Tah remains the undisputed number one in the centre of defence.
Anton will not shout his case from the rooftops. It is not his style. Kovac has described him as “very calm, very modest, very humble,” a player who consistently pushes his ego aside and puts the team first.
So the debate around his role in the DFB setup will rage on without him adding a word. What is not up for debate is his status at Dortmund.
At the current league leaders, there is no battle for his place. No question about his importance. No doubt about who anchors the back line.
The boos in Stuttgart will fade. The imprint Anton is leaving on BVB’s defence – and potentially on Germany’s future – will not.
