Karl-Heinz Metzner was a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 footballer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

. He was born in Kassel

Kassel

Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...

.

He was part of the West German

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

 team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup

1954 FIFA World Cup

The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...

. In total he earned two caps for West Germany. During his club career he played for Hessen Kassel

Hessen Kassel

Hessen Kassel may refer to:* Hessen-Kassel, a former German principality* KSV Hessen Kassel, a German football club...

.

Already at the age of 17, Metzner took part in an instruction training of the German national team

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

, however World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 stopped Metzner's aspirations; Metzner had to serve in the war where he received a hand injury, which handicapped him throughout the rest of his life. After the war, Metzner played for Hessen Kassel

Hessen Kassel

Hessen Kassel may refer to:* Hessen-Kassel, a former German principality* KSV Hessen Kassel, a German football club...

 as an inside forward

Inside forward

In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...

 and as a half back. He was first called up by West German

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

 coach Sepp Herberger

Sepp Herberger

Josef "Sepp" Herberger was a German football player and manager...

 for a 1952 international friendly against Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia national football team

The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...

, where he did not play. His international debut came a week later in the game against Spain

Spain national football team

The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

 in Madrid. Although he was a member of the 1954 FIFA World Cup

1954 FIFA World Cup

The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...

 German squad, Metzner could not break into the starting eleven, neither as a half back nor as an inside forward

Inside forward

In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...

, as the half backs Horst Eckel

Horst Eckel

Horst Eckel is a former German footballer.In the 1954 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Eckel became the first substitute in the history of football. He was part of the West German team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He also participated in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. In total he earned 32 caps. During...

 and Karl Mai

Karl Mai

Karl Mai was a German footballer. He was born in Fürth.He was part of the West German team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. In total he earned 21 caps and scored one goal for West Germany...

 and the inside forwards Max Morlock

Max Morlock

Maximilian Morlock was one of the most popular German football players in the 1950s and early 1960s. In his time with the West German national team, he earned 26 caps and scored 21 goals...

 and Fritz Walter

Fritz Walter

Friedrich "Fritz" Walter was a German footballer. In his time with the German national team, he won 61 caps and scored 33 goals.-Early club career:...

 were too strong.

Metzner ended his career on 5 August 1961, in a friendly game between Kassel and Radnicki Belgrade. He played 620 times for Hessen Kassel. Metzner died of heart failure in 1994.