hiː wʌz sᵻlˈɛktᵻd fɚðə twˈɛnti θɹˈiːmˈæn skwˈɑːd ðæt tˈʊk pˈɑːɹt ɪnðə tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɪks fˈiːfə wˈɜːld kˈʌp fˈaɪnəlz ɪn dʒˈɜːməni ænd plˈeɪd ɪn ˈɔːl θɹˈiː ʌvðə ɡɹˈuːp ɐ ɡˈeɪmz, ˈɔːlmoʊst skˈoːɹɪŋ wɪð ɐn ɪmpɹˈɛsɪv lˈɛft fˈʊt ʃˈɑːt ðæt hˈɪt ðə kɹˈɔsbɑːɹ ɐɡˈɛnst ˈɛkwɐdˌoːɹ ɪn ðɛɹ tˈuː zˈiəɹoʊ dᵻfˈiːt.
He was selected for the 23-man squad that took part in the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany and played in all three of the Group A games, almost scoring with an impressive left foot shot that hit the crossbar against Ecuador in their 2–0 defeat.