Alexander Schwolow, born on 2 June 1992 (age 34), is a German goalkeeper with Hearts. An imposing 6ft 3in (1.90m) presence, he wears the number one shirt and remains a regular first-team figure in 2025-26 rather than a late-career name filling a squad list.
He came through at Freiburg, where his route was the sensible one for a young keeper: a spell away from the club to play senior football before trying to make the position his own. His loan at Arminia Bielefeld gave him the run of matches that reserve football rarely does, and helped turn him from a prospect into a goalkeeper trusted at first-team level.
Schwolow’s Freiburg years gave him his base in German football before his career moved on through Hertha Berlin and further Bundesliga experience, including Schalke. It has been a career built more on steady employment than noise, which is no bad thing for a goalkeeper.
At Hearts in 2025-26, he has made 32 league appearances, along with one Scottish Cup appearance and one in a Champions League qualifier, taking him to 34 matches in all competitions for the club. His current market value is around £383,000, according to Transfermarkt.
Schwolow’s career has run from Freiburg development and a useful early loan education into a long spell as a senior professional, with Hearts now relying on him as a first-choice goalkeeper.
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