Still in his teens he moved to Germany and joined VfB Stuttgart, but appeared exclusively for the reserves during his three-year spell.
stˈɪl ɪn hɪz tˈiːnz hiː mˈuːvd tə dʒˈɜːməni ænd dʒˈɔɪnd vˌiːˈɛf bˈiː stˈʌtɡɑːɹt, bˌʌt ɐpˈɪɹd ɛksklˈuːsɪvli fɚðə ɹɪzˈɜːvz dˈʊɹɹɪŋ hɪz θɹˈiːjˈɪɹ spˈɛl.