German police have raided the home of former Germany and Real Madrid defender Christoph Metzelder over suspicions that he's spreading child pornography.
As reported by German outlet Bild, Metzelder was confronted by police at the Hennef sports school, where the 38 year-old was partaking in a coaching course. There, the police confiscated Metzelder's mobile phone before accompanying Metzelder back to his home to conduct a search of the property.
Investigators left Metzelder's house with one computer, which is still being searched. Metzelder was not arrested, despite the raid.
According to Bild, the raid was conducted following information given to German authorities by a woman that Metzelder had previously dated. The woman showed the police 15 images of child pornography which had been sent to her via WhatsApp.
In the aftermath of the raid, a spokesperson for the German authorities stated that "a 38 year-old German man" had been suspected of spreading child pornography. They also stated that the pornography seized included "digital image recordings."
In his career, Metzelder made 47 appearances for the German national team, lining out at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and EURO 2008. He played for the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Schalke in his career before retiring at the age of 32 in 2013.
