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.
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.