How did your move to West Ham at the start of the noughties materialise?

I was at Lyon, where I grew up. I wasn’t really playing, so lost a bit of patience and wanted to get out of the club. I heard from my agent that West Ham were interested, and basically went overnight. It was a loan with an option to buy, and I scored the winner on my debut at home to Wimbledon.

It was difficult at the beginning, but I enjoyed the independence and responsibility I had on my shoulders. What I picked up straight away was that things were less strict than in France – we had more freedom in the way we played. I’ll always be grateful to West Ham, because they made me feel at home from the first day.