Christoph Metzelder (born November 5, 1980 in Haltern, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany ) is a football defender for Real Madrid . Metzelder is also a part of the German national team, with whom he has amassed a total of 47 caps. In the summer of 2000, Metzelder signed for Borussia, and he was an instant success. He not only won the German championships with BVB in 2002 as a regular first team player, he also reached the 2002 World Cup final with Germany. In the tournament, he was also voted the “Best player under the age of 23”. With a height of 1.93 metres, Metzelder is strong in the air. He can also play on the right side of defence. His tackling skills, both in the air and on the ground, make Metzelder a reliable defensive player. Sir Alex Ferguson was once quoted saying that he was the best central defender and Manchester United 's first choice replacement for Gary Neville . On April 18, 2007 it was announced that Metzelder was to sign for Real Madrid at the end of the 2006–2007 season. Christoph's younger Brother Malte is also a professional football player, who plays in the 2. Bundesliga for Ingolstadt 04. In February, 2008, Metzelder had to have surgery on the sole of his foot, resulting in him missing nearly two months of action. He missed Madrid's Champions League last-16 tie against Roma . On May 11, Metzelder returned from injury and played the full 90 minutes against Real Zaragoza . Despite his lack of playing time, he featured in Germany's starting eleven for Euro 2008. His formidable partnership with fellow defender Per Mertesacker of Werder Bremen has formed the backbone of the German defence for the past several years.