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

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.

[4][5] The second campaign at Dortmund brought Metzelder the 2002 national title and 14 matches with Germany, all the way to the 2002 FIFA World Cup final with the latter.

[20] 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.

He added five in the domestic cup victorious campaign, including the semi-finals against FC Bayern Munich (1–0 win)[24] and the final against MSV Duisburg (5–0).

[28] Metzelder was being investigated for the potential distribution of child pornography,[31][32] which led him to step down from his role as president of his former club TuS Haltern am See in September 2019.

The statement also mentioned nearly 300 media files with child pornographic content having been found on Metzelder's confiscated cell phone.