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.
BBC Sport
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