Christoph Metzelder

Christoph Metzelder

Metzelder with Schalke in 2010
Personal information
Full name Christoph Tobias Metzelder[1]
Date of birth (1980-11-05) 5 November 1980
Place of birth Haltern, West Germany
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Centre back
Youth career
1986–1995 TuS Haltern
1995–1996 Schalke 04
1996–1998 Preußen Münster
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2000 Preußen Münster 32 (4)
2000–2007 Borussia Dortmund 126 (2)
2007–2010 Real Madrid 23 (0)
2010–2013 Schalke 04 52 (2)
2013–2014 TuS Haltern 1 (0)
Total 234 (8)
National team
2000–2001 Germany U21 9 (1)
2001–2008 Germany 47 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Christoph Tobias Metzelder (pronounced [ˈkʁɪstɔf toˈbiːas mɛˈt͡sɛldɐ]; born 5 November 1980) is a German former footballer who played as a central defender.[2]

Most of his professional career, which was spent mostly at Borussia Dortmund, was blighted by injuries. He did manage, however, to collect nearly 50 caps for the German national team, appearing with it at two World Cups and Euro 2008.

Metzelder also played three seasons apiece for Real Madrid and Schalke 04, amassing Bundesliga totals of 178 games and four goals over the course of one full decade.

Football career

Borussia Dortmund

Metzelder was born in Haltern, North Rhine-Westphalia. In the summer of 2000 he signed with Borussia Dortmund from lowly SC Preußen Münster, and he was an instant success. At the end of his first season in the Bundesliga he won his first cap for Germany, playing the second half of a 5–2 friendly win in Hungary on 15 August 2001.[3][4]

The second season at Dortmund brought him the 2002 national title and 14 matches with Germany, all the way to the 2002 FIFA World Cup final with the latter. However, he missed the entire 2003–04 campaign due to an Achilles tendon injury,[5] and only took part in 16 league contests in the following season.[6]

After over two years out of the national squad, Metzelder was called by new boss Jürgen Klinsmann for a friendly with China, in October 2005.[7] He also scored his first two league goals, in 1–1 draws against 1. FSV Mainz 05 and Hamburger SV, and would be Germany's undisputed starter at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, partnering with SV Werder Bremen's Per Mertesacker.

Real Madrid

On 18 April 2007, after failing to renew his contract at Borussia,[8] Metzelder transferred to Real Madrid at the end of the season on a free transfer.[9][10] In February 2008, after managing to be injury-free in the first months of his Spanish adventure, he had surgery on the sole of his foot, resulting in him missing nearly two months of action;[11] on 11 May, after having already missed the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash against A.S. Roma, he returned and played the full 90 minutes against Real Zaragoza (2–2 away draw).

Despite his lack of playing time, Metzelder featured in all of Germany's matches at UEFA Euro 2008, again partnering Mertesacker. In 2008–09's La Liga, he was the main beneficiary of a 10-match suspension handed to Real's Pepe; after a stellar performance in a 4–2 win at Sevilla FC he also started in the 2–6 home defeat at the hands of FC Barcelona, for a career-best – in Spain – 12 games.

Metzelder left Real Madrid after his contract expired on 30 June 2010.[12]

Return home

On 27 April 2010, prior to the end of the campaign, Metzelder announced his return to Germany, agreeing on a three-year contract with FC Schalke 04, with which he had already played youth football 15 years earlier.[13] His first two league games with the club, the first of the 2010–11 season, ended with 1–2 losses, against Hamburger SV and Hannover 96, respectively.

Metzelder appeared in ten complete matches in the season's Champions League, in an eventual semifinal run. He added five in the domestic cup victorious campaign, including the semifinals against FC Bayern Munich (1–0 win) and the final against MSV Duisburg (5–0).

In May 2013, 32-year-old Metzelder announced his retirement from professional football at the end of the season.[14]

Personal life

Metzelder's younger brother, Malte, was also a footballer (and a centre back), and both played for Borussia Dortmund.[15]

He has one daughter, Emma (born 17 October 2009), with girlfriend Julia Gödicke.[16]

Club statistics

[17]

Club Season League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Borussia Dortmund 2000–01 1902000210
2001–02 25010120380
2002–03 24010100350
2003–04 00001010
2004–05 1600000160
2005–06 2321000242
2006–07 1900000190
Total 1262502101522
Real Madrid 2007–08 901030130
2008–09 1202010150
2009–10 20100030
Total 2304040310
Schalke 04 2010–11 32160100481
2011–12 1610030191
2012–13 40201060
Total 52280140732
Career total 20141703902564

Honours

Club

Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid
Schalke

Country

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 – List of players" (PDF). FIFA.com. p. 12. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Christoph Metzelder, Germany's composed and confident defender". UNICEF. 21 June 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  3. ↑ Matthias Arnhold (22 November 2012). "Christoph Metzelder – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Völlers Jugendstil bleibt erfolgreich" [Voller's newbies still successful] (in German). kicker. 15 August 2001. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Metzelder needs second operation". UEFA.com. 20 October 2003. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  6. ↑ Arnhold, Matthias (1 October 2015). "Christoph Metzelder – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Metzelder set for a happy return". UEFA.com. 11 October 2005. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  8. ↑ "Dortmund to split with Metzelder". UEFA.com. 5 March 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  9. ↑ "Real set to sign Metzelder". ITV Football. Archived from the original on 21 April 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  10. ↑ "Metzelder to make mark in Spain". UEFA.com. 9 July 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  11. ↑ "Metzelder booked in for foot surgery". UEFA.com. 9 February 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  12. ↑ "Metzelder träumt zum Abschied bei Real vom Titel" [Metzelder dreams of leaving Real Madrid with title] (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. 8 April 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  13. ↑ "Vertrag bis 2013: Christoph Metzelder wechselt zum S04!" [Contract until 2013: Christoph Metzelder moves to S04!] (in German). Schalke 04. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  14. ↑ "Metzelder beendet seine Laufbahn" [Metzelder ends his run] (in German). Sport1. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  15. ↑ "Ein neues Leben – mit Inhalt" [A new life – with contentment] (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  16. ↑ "Metzelder mit Baby nach Madrid" [Metzelder and daughter to Madrid] (in German). Bild. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  17. ↑ "C. Metzelder". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
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