Last updated on .From the section European Football

Christophe Metzelder was a member of the Germany squad that finished runners-up at the 2002 World Cup and 2008 European Championship

Former Germany international Christoph Metzelder is being investigated by German police over allegations of distributing child pornography.

A statement from the Hamburg attorney general's office said the 38-year-old is accused of having sent images with child pornographic content to a recipient in Hamburg via WhatsApp.

Hamburg police carried out two searches in Dusseldorf on Tuesday.

Metzelder is said to have co-operated with the authorities.

The material collected from the searches will now be evaluated, and the investigation continues.

Metzelder won more than 40 caps for Germany and was a member of the squads for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

The centre-back helped Borussia Dortmund win the 2001-2002 Bundesliga title during a seven-year spell with the club before winning La Liga with Real Madrid in the 2007-08 season.