The court found Metzelder guilty of the offense after an investigation that started in 2019, and the former player admitting earlier on Thursday to sharing files on WhatsApp.
“I sent these pictures even though I know what unspeakable suffering towards kids in each of these files there is,” he told the court.
“I leave a wound that will never heal. I have to live with that for the rest of my life,” he said. “I accept the sentence.”
Metzelder, a Bundesliga champion with Borussia Dortmund, also played for Schalke 04 and Real Madrid.
He was a World Cup runner-up in 2002 and won 47 caps for his country. He also played in the 2006 World Cup.
Metzelder was president of his boyhood club TuS Haltern until stepping down in 2019 due to the case. He worked on many social projects with children through his now defunct foundation.
You may also like
-
Super League: UEFA forced to drop disciplinary proceedings against remaining clubs
-
Simone Biles says she ‘should have quit way before Tokyo’
-
Kyrie Irving: NBA star the latest to withhold vaccination status
-
Roger Hunt: English football mourns death of Liverpool striker and World Cup winner
-
‘Every single time I lift the bar, I’m just lifting my country up’: Shiva Karout’s quest for powerlifting glory