As a player he spent the early part of his career playing for Aston Villa in England (accompanied by a short loan spell at Chesterfield), before returning to Germany to play for Stuttgart, where he won the Bundesliga in 2007.
Ia menghabiskan bagian awal kariernya bermain untuk Aston Villa di Inggris (disertai dengan dipinjaman secara singkat di Chesterfield), sebelum kembali ke Jerman untuk bermain dengan Stuttgart, di mana ia memenangkan Bundesliga pada 2007.