æz ɐ plˈeɪɚ, hiː wʌzɐ ɡˈoʊlkiːpɚ fɹʌm nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi tˈuː ʌntˈɪl tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹ, nˈoʊɾəbli ɪnðə pɹəmˈɪɹ lˈiːɡ fɔːɹ tʃˈɛlsiː, ˈæftɚ plˈeɪɪŋ fɔːɹ mˈɑːskoʊ klˈʌbz toːɹpˈiːdoʊ, dˈaɪnɐmˌoʊ ænd sˈiːskˈɑː.
As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1982 until 2004, notably in the Premier League for Chelsea, after playing for Moscow clubs Torpedo, Dynamo and CSKA.