:: vita

5 november 1980: Christoph Metzelder is born – presumably bawling at great volume.
spring 1986: On a street in his home town Haltern, little Christoph finds a Panini sticker of German defender Karlheinz Förster. He decides on the spot to become a professional football player.
1986: Christoph starts his career at TuS Haltern where he stays until 1995.
1995/96: Christoph disappears from the face of the earth for a year by foolishly signing up with an unimportant suburb club in the ugliest town on this planet.
1 july 1996: Move to SC Preußen Münster
2000: Christoph leaves school with a university entrance qualification.
1 july 2000: Move to Borussia Dortmund
11 august 2000: First Bundesliga match against Hansa Rostock (1:0)
15 august 2001: First match with the German national team (5:2 against Hungary)
4 may 2002: Borussia Dortmund wins the Bundesliga.
30 june 2002: With the German national team, Christoph is runner-up in the 2002 World Cup.
1 april 2003: First operation on his Achilles tendon
8 july 2003: Christoph is made captain of Borussia Dortmund, the youngest captain in Bundesliga history.
22 october 2003: Second operation on his Achilles tendon
5 november 2004: First team training session after his injury
7 december 2004: Comeback with the Borussia Dortmund amateur team against Eintracht Braunschweig at the Westfalenstadion
11 december 2004: Bundesliga comeback against Hansa Rostock
14 may 2005: Much celebrated Derby victory
24 september 2005: Christoph's first goal in the Bundesliga (1:1 against Mainz)
12 october 2005: Comeback with the German national team (against China)
23 october 2005: Christoph's second goal in the Bundesliga (a brilliant diving header) against Hamburg
4 february 2006: Christoph's 100th Bundesliga match for Borussia Dortmund in the Derby
15 may 2006: Christoph is called up to play for Germany at the 2006 World Cup
9 june 2006: Opening match of 2006 World Cup
8 july 2006: The German national team finishes third in the World Cup.
31 august 2006: Christoph has his knee worked on: patella tip-syndrome fixed, ganglion removed
8 september 2006: Yet another operation, this time it's the nose. Nasal septum evened out, para nasal sinuses opened up.
10 december 2006: Yet another comeback – yet another Derby
20 january 2007: Christoph's first own goal, at the Winter Cup in Düsseldorf. On this day, he coins the phrase: "I do not shoot penalties!" Very wise indeed.
12 may 2007: Derby time again. It's Christoph Metzelder's last match for Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion and his best performance there ever. He provides two brilliant assists, destroys whatever dreams of being "Meister" the royal blue rubbish may have had and is voted "Man of the Match".
16 may 2007: Farewell party of the Metzelder fan club. Christoph gets to know his new action figure and is awarded status "Fruit tea Ultra h.c.".
19 may 2007: Christoph plays his – for the time being – last match for Borussia Dortmund in Leverkusen.
6 june 2007: Christoph scores his first own goal on international level in the EURO 2008 qualifier against Slovakia. Germany still wins 2:1.
1 july 2007: Official start at Real Madrid
25 august 2007: First la Liga match, playing Atlético Madrid
13 february 2008: Christoph undergoes surgery on his left foot
4 may 2008: Christoph Metzelder wins Spanish Championship with Real Madrid.
11 may 2008: Comeback after injury in match against Real Zaragoza
16 may 2008: Christoph is drafted in for EURO 2008
29 june 2008: Christoph Metzelder finishes second in the EURO 2008 with the German national team