Waldemar Anton
German-Uzbek footballer (born 1996)
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Waldemar Anton (German pronunciation: [ˈvaldemaːʁ ˈantɔn]; born 20 July 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team.
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Anton with Dortmund in 2025 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Waldemar Anton[1] | |||||||||||||
| Birth name | Vladimir Anton | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 20 July 1996 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Olmaliq, Uzbekistan | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | |||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Borussia Dortmund | |||||||||||||
| Number | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| –2007 | Mühlenberger SV | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2015 | Hannover 96 | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Hannover 96 II | 11 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2016–2020 | Hannover 96 | 130 | (6) | |||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | VfB Stuttgart | 127 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2024– | Borussia Dortmund | 58 | (4) | |||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Germany U21 | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2024– | Germany | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:30, 15 November 2025 (UTC) | ||||||||||||||
Club career
Hannover 96 (2015–2020)
Anton played eleven matches for Hannover 96 II and scored one goal.[3] Since Hannover 96 were in relegation, Anton and Mike-Steven Bähre were signed to professional contracts to help the club.[4]
During the 2015–16 season, Anton made two appearances for Hannover 96,[5] playing in a 2–1 win against VfB Stuttgart on 27 February 2016[6] and a 1–0 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt on 19 March 2016.[7] His first Bundesliga goal was against Borussia Mönchengladbach on 15 April 2016.[8]
VfB Stuttgart (2020–2024)
On 28 July 2020, Anton transferred to VfB Stuttgart on a four-year deal.[9] On 5 November 2021, he extended his contract until 2025.[10]
Anton became the team captain of VfB Stuttgart in August 2023 and extended his contract until 2027 on 14 January 2024.[11] On 4 May 2024, the final matchday of the Bundesliga season, Anton would help his side win 3–1 over Bayern Munich, thus finishing Bundesliga runner-up behind champions Bayer Leverkusen.[12]
Borussia Dortmund (since 2024)
On 8 July 2024, Anton joined fellow Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, signing a four-year contract,[13] for a reported transfer fee of €22.5m, as a replacement for Mats Hummels, who left the club in the same summer.[14][15] The transfer has caused major controversies among Stuttgart supporters, since Anton declared his loyalty towards the club four months earlier.[16]
"[...] I hadn't originally planned on changing clubs – but then Borussia Dortmund came along. A top club that just reached the Champions League final. That shows the potential this club has [...]."
On 17 August 2024, Anton made his Dortmund debut in the first round of the DFB-Pokal against Phönix Lübeck, scoring three minutes into the match, and thus his first goal.[18] On 18 September, he'd celebrate his European debut coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 away victory over Club Brugge, on the first matchday of the Champions League league phase.[19] On 1 October, he'd feature in the starting line-up in the Champions League for the first time, in a 7–1 home win over Celtic Glasgow.[20] On 8 February 2025, Anton scored an own goal for his former club VfB Stuttgart in a 2–1 loss.[21] On 12 April, he scored his first Bundesliga goal for Dortmund away in Munich, to tie the game 2–2 and secure a point for his team.[22] Three days later, he'd play full 90 minutes in a 3–1 home victory over FC Barcelona, in the quarter-final of the Champions League, though his side was eliminated.[23] On 26 April, he'd score the winning goal for Dortmund in the sixth minute of extra time in a 3–2 away victory over Hoffenheim, climbing up to the sixth place of the league table, making a crucial step towards Champions League qualification for the following season.[24] On the last matchday, he would help his team win 3–0 against Kiel and qualify for the Champions League.[25]
In the first matchday of the following Bundesliga season, he'd score a goal in a 3–3 draw over St. Pauli.[26] On 5 November 2025, he'd score Dortmund's only goal in a 1–4 away loss to Manchester City, marking Dortmund's first defeat of the Champions League season.[27] On 4 April 2026, Dortmund would win 2–0 against VfB Stuttgart away, marking Anton's first victory with Dortmund over his ex-club after three winless matches in a row.[28] With Dortmund, he'd finish Bundesliga runner-up, thus qualifying for the Champions League and the Supercup.[29][30]
International career
Anton was eligible to play for Germany, Russia and Uzbekistan. He was a youth international for Germany.[31] He won the UEFA Under-21 Championship in 2017 and was a runner-up in 2019.[32]
In March 2024, he was called up for the Germany national team ahead of the friendly matches against France and the Netherlands.[33] He made his debut on 23 March 2024 in a 2–0 away win over France.[34]
Anton was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024, making his tournament debut in the round of 16 against Denmark, a 2–0 win in Dortmund.[35] In the quarter-final against Spain, he'd play the full extra time, a 2–1 loss.[36][37] After the Euros, he featured in Germany's 2024–25 UEFA Nations League campaign, reaching the finals and finishing fourth place.[38] Later, he successfully qualified with Germany for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, featuring in four out of their six qualifying matches and would be called up for the final tournament squad.[39][40]
Personal life
A Spätaussiedler, Anton was born in the ex-Soviet region of Olmaliq, Uzbekistan, to Russia-German parents and moved to Germany at the age of two.[41] His father is from Ekaterinburg, Russia, and his mother is Volga German.[42] When in Germany, his parents legally changed his birth name Vladimir to its German equivalent Waldemar due to assimilation reasons.[43] He is Christian.[44]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 16 May 2026[5]
| Club | Season | League | DFB-Pokal | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hannover 96 II | 2015–16 | Regionalliga Nord | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | |||
| Hannover 96 | 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | 2. Bundesliga | 31 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 2 | |||
| 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | |||
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 1 | |||
| 2019–20 | 2. Bundesliga | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| Total | 130 | 5 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 137 | 5 | ||||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 34 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 40 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 33 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 1 | |||
| Total | 127 | 3 | 13 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 129 | 4 | |||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 26 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10[b] | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | 42 | 3 |
| 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9[b] | 1 | — | 44 | 3 | ||
| Total | 58 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 86 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 313 | 13 | 24 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 363 | 16 | ||
- Appearances in Bundesliga relegation play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
International
- As of match played 14 November 2025[45]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2024 | 7 | 0 |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 0 | |
Honours
Germany U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2017;[46] runner-up: 2019[47]
VfB Stuttgart
- Bundesliga runner-up: 2023–24[48]
Individual
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2023–24[49]
- VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2023–24[50]
