He is truly the product of a diverse upbringing, with his continental footballing education today showing on the pitch.
Now, in the Crystal Palace v Wolverhampton Wanderers programme, the centre-back has explained how and why he embarked on such a varied journey and his approach to succeed at Palace.
But he's not the only big name to feature in the latest programme, with Patrick Vieira, Luka Milivojevic and Steve Parish sharing their thoughts, Paddy McCarthy offering insight, Academy prospect Freddie Bell being introduced and legendary goalkeeper John Jackson remembered.
We also tour south London's non-league scene, hear from Darren Ambrose and get to know Palace Women's Leanne Cowan.
What's inside
-
Club news
-
Manager, Chairman and captain’s notes
-
A run-down on the opposition, including analysis and memories, a look at the key players and the stats you need to know
-
Seven pages dedicated to the Academy, including: player interviews, updates from the managers and staff, and a look back at our proudest graduates – Bell and Jackson feature in this edition, and we find out McCarthy's take on a momentous few weeks
-
Insight into our earliest years in the 1800s and a feature on local non-league sides
-
Updates from the Palace Women players, stats for all teams, challenges, your comments and more