Wes Brown

This article is about the footballer. For the American naval officer, see Wesley A. Brown. For the American jurist, see Wesley E. Brown. For the American actor, see Wes Brown (actor).

Wes Brown
Brown in 2024
Personal information
Full name Wesley Michael Brown[1]
Date of birth (1979-10-13) 13 October 1979 (age 45)[2]
Place of birth Longsight, Manchester, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[3]
Position(s) Centre back, right back
Youth career
Fletcher Moss Rangers
1992–1996 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–2011 Manchester United 232 (3)
2011–2016 Sunderland 76 (1)
2016–2017 Blackburn Rovers 5 (1)
2017–2018 Kerala Blasters 14 (1)
Total 327 (6)
International career
1998–2000 England U21 8 (0)
1999–2010 England 23 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Wesley Michael Brown (born 13 October 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre back or right back. He spent the majority of his career at Manchester United, where he won 13 trophies including five Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions Leagues.

Brown began his career with Manchester United by joining the club's academy at the age of 12 in 1992. After turning professional in 1996, he made his senior debut in 1998 and became a semi regular first team player during the 1998–99 season, when the club won the Treble. After a year-long hiatus due to injury, Brown became a regular fixture in the first team from 2000 onwards. Over the next eight years, he won numerous honours, including four more Premier League titles and another Champions League. Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that Brown is "without question the best natural defender this club has had for years".[4] After 15 years with Manchester United, Brown was allowed to leave for Sunderland, where he spent five years and helped them reach the 2014 League Cup final.

Brown earned his first England cap in 1999 and was selected to play at the 2002 World Cup. He played in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers but England failed to progress to the final tournament. He scored his first international goal in 2008 against the Czech Republic. Brown announced his retirement from international football on 8 August 2010, just a day after being recalled to the England squad by Fabio Capello.

  1. ^ "Retained and released lists submitted by Premier League clubs". Premier League. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Wes Brown". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Wes Brown". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference best was invoked but never defined (see the help page).