Sven Botman is a professional footballer who plays for Newcastle United.
Eddie Howe has not been able to splash the cash with gleeful abandon since taking over as Newcastle United manager, with PSR restrictions limiting the club over the last 18 months.
Yet, Howe’s first summer transfer window in charge was a fun one, with Alexander Isak arriving alongside Sven Botman.
The pair were two of PIF’s big early marquee signings but they have gone on to have varying levels of success.
While Isak has established himself as one of the best strikers in the game, Botman has been plagued by injuries in recent years.
Yet, he remains a classy defender who fans are desperate to see more of. Here’s everything you need to know about him.
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Who is Sven Botman?
Sven Adriaan Botman is a footballer who plays at centre-back.
As is the case for so many talented Dutch footballers, Botman began his career in Ajax’s famed youth academy and was highly rated as a youngster.
However, despite playing for the seniors in a friendly game, he never played a competitive match for the Amsterdam giants, though he did join Heerenveen for a season on loan.
Botman committed his future to Ajax in 2020, yet, a few months later, he was signed up by French side Lille.
It turned out to be a genius move as Botman went straight into the starting XI and was an ever-present in the side as Lille shockingly won Ligue 1 for the first time in their history.
After beating Paris Saint-Germain to the title, they then defeated them in the French Super Cup, too.
Newcastle moved to sign the Dutchman in 2022 and his class immediately became apparent as he easily adapted to the Premier League and became Newcastle’s best centre-back.
Sadly, a series of knee injuries have disrupted his career over the last year.
How old is Sven Botman?
Botman was born on January 12, 2000, in Badhoevedorp, Netherlands. As of October 2025, he is 25 years old.
Though soon to turn 26, Botman is still young in his career after missing so many months through injury.
How tall is Sven Botman?
Botman stands at 6’4″ tall, making him one of the tallest players in the squad.
His sizeable height and strength make him an imposing defender for strikers to contend with.
What number does Botman wear for Newcastle?
Botman has worn the No.4 shirt since moving to St. James’ Park.
He also wore the number for a season at Lille, swapping to it from No.5. So it’s clearly his favourite.
How much does Sven Botman earn?
Botman reportedly takes home a cool £90,000 a week, which works out at £4.68m a year.
That puts him at the higher end of Newcastle’s wage structure.
How much did Newcastle sign Botman for?
Newcastle paid £31.8m to sign Botman from Lille in the summer of 2022.
Though he has missed a lot of action through injury, his defending when on the pitch makes that price look like a bargain.
Sven Botman stats
Botman’s career stats so far:
| Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| Heerenveen | 30 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Lille | 79 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| Newcastle United | 76 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
Botman injury
Botman suffered a serious ACL injury in March 2024 in an FA Cup tie against Manchester City. It took him nine months to recover, returning to action in an Under-21s fixture in December the same year.
The defender missed 16 games the previous year with another knee problem and has continued to have issues with it since his ACL tear, meaning he has missed a total of 59 matches since signing for Newcastle.
Sven Botman Instagram and X/Twitter
Botman has an official Instagram account with 236k followers that you can find @svenbotman_.
He does not appear to have a public X, formerly Twitter, account.
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