Fifa - Essay

Christoph Metzelder is a child of Germany’s gritty and hard-working Ruhr valley. The former Germany international was born in 1980 in Haltern, a town of 38,000 inhabitants, and first started playing for his local club. The 1.94 metre centre-back moved to Schalke 04 and Preussen Munster, before making his Bundesliga breakthrough with Borussia Dortmund, where he spent the period from 2000 to 2007.

The man nicknamed Metze first represented his country on 15 August 2001, collecting a runners-up medal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ in Korea and Japan, and finishing third with Germany at the 2006 finals on home soil.

In 2007, the player opted for an overseas adventure and joined Real Madrid, but it was to be an unhappy move from a sporting perspective and he made just a handful of La Liga appearances in three seasons with the Spanish giants. His travails in Madrid were no help to his international career either. The man capped 47 times by his country last pulled on national colours in the UEFA EURO 2008 final.

Metzelder has now returned to his country of birth on a three-year contract with Bundesliga runners-up Schalke. The 29-year-old regards the switch as a chance to restate his international credentials by aiding his new club’s efforts in the Bundesliga, the DFB German Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

The articulate and intelligent Metzelder spoke exclusively to FIFA.com about his targets for the season, his new team-mate Raul, his chances of a comeback for Germany, and his community involvement with disadvantaged youths.