hɪz ˈɜːli pɹˈɑːmɪs, wˌɪtʃ sˈɔː ˈɪntɹɛst ɪn hˌɪm baɪ sˈʌtʃ bˈɪɡ klˈʌbz æz ˈɑːɹsənəl, wʌz ˈɔːlmoʊst ᵻlˈɪmᵻnˌeɪɾᵻd wɛn ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd wˈʌn, wˌaɪl ˈoʊnli twˈɛnti wˈʌn, hiː wʌzðə vˈɪktɪm əvə sˈɪɹiəs ɹˈoʊd ˈæksɪdənt ɪn fɹˈæns wˌɪtʃ lˈɛft hˌɪm ʌnˈeɪbəl tə plˈeɪ fɔːɹ ˈɔːlmoʊst ɐ jˈɪɹ.
His early promise, which saw interest in him by such big clubs as Arsenal, was almost eliminated when in 2001, while only 21, he was the victim of a serious road accident in France which left him unable to play for almost a year.