Matthew Upson facts for kids
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Upson in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew James Upson | ||
| Date of birth | 18 April 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Eye, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| – | Ipswich Town | ||
| 1994–1996 | Luton Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1997 | Luton Town | 1 | (0) |
| 1997–2003 | Arsenal | 35 | (0) |
| 2000 | → Nottingham Forest (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2001 | → Crystal Palace (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2002 | → Reading (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2003–2007 | Birmingham City | 113 | (5) |
| 2007–2011 | West Ham United | 131 | (4) |
| 2011–2013 | Stoke City | 15 | (2) |
| 2013 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 43 | (2) |
| 2014–2015 | Leicester City | 5 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Milton Keynes Dons | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 386 | (14) | |
| International career | |||
| 1997–1998 | England U18 | 9 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | England U21 | 12 | (2) |
| 2003–2010 | England | 21 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Matthew James Upson, born on April 18, 1979, is a former English professional footballer. He played as a centre back, which is a key defensive position. Matthew Upson also played for the England national team, even appearing in the 2010 World Cup.
He began his football journey at Luton Town. In May 1997, he joined Premier League club Arsenal. He spent six seasons with Arsenal, making 57 appearances. During this time, he also played on loan for Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, and Reading.
In 2003, Upson moved to Birmingham City, where he played regularly. After Birmingham was relegated in 2006, he joined West Ham United in January 2007. He became West Ham's captain in 2009. When West Ham was relegated in 2011, Upson left the club. He then signed a two-year contract with Stoke City in August 2011. After a loan spell, he joined Brighton & Hove Albion permanently in 2013.
Contents
Matthew Upson's Club Career
Starting at Luton Town
Matthew Upson first trained at the Ipswich Town Centre of Excellence. He later joined Luton Town as a young player. He became a professional footballer in April 1996. Upson played his only Football League game for Luton Town in August 1996.
Time at Arsenal F.C.
In May 1997, Upson joined Arsenal. It was a big move for him. However, it was hard for him to get into the first team. Arsenal already had strong defenders like Tony Adams and Martin Keown. Matthew also had some injuries, including a serious knee injury in 1999.
He played a few games for Arsenal. He also went on loan to other clubs. These included Nottingham Forest in 2000 and Crystal Palace in 2001.
In the 2001–02 season, Upson played 22 matches for Arsenal. This included 14 league games, which helped him earn a Premier League winner's medal. However, he broke his leg in February 2002. This injury meant he missed the rest of the season. Arsenal went on to win both the Premier League and the FA Cup that year. After recovering, Upson joined Reading on loan in September 2002. He scored his first professional goal for Reading in a League Cup match. In January 2003, he moved to Birmingham City.
Playing for Birmingham City
Matthew Upson signed with Birmingham City in January 2003. He quickly became a regular player for the team. This was a great chance for him to play more often.
In April 2006, he got a leg injury before a game against Aston Villa. This injury made him miss the rest of the season. Birmingham City was then relegated to the Championship. Upson stayed with the club and worked hard to get fit again. He returned to play in December, scoring a goal in a 3–0 win against Plymouth Argyle.
Moving to West Ham United
On January 18, 2007, West Ham United tried to buy Upson from Birmingham. Birmingham rejected their offers at first. But on the last day of the transfer window, an offer was accepted. Upson signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with West Ham.
Upson had a tough start at West Ham. He got a calf injury less than 30 minutes into his first game. He then got injured again in his comeback match. He finally played a full game for West Ham in August 2007. A week later, he was captain for the first time against his old club, Birmingham City. On December 29, he scored his first goal for West Ham. It was the winning goal against Manchester United.
In July 2008, West Ham retired the number 6 shirt in memory of Bobby Moore. Upson, who wore number 6, then took the number 15 shirt. In August 2009, Upson became the captain of West Ham. He led the team through a difficult season. He scored three goals that season.
After West Ham was relegated from the Premier League in May 2011, Upson left the club when his contract ended.
Time at Stoke City
Upson joined Stoke City on August 9, 2011. He signed a two-year contract. He said that playing in the UEFA Europa League was a big reason he joined Stoke. Upson played his first game for Stoke in the Europa League. He also scored his first goal for the club in the second leg of that competition.
Upson often played in the Europa League. He appeared in all six group matches. He scored his first league goal for Stoke in February 2012. He also scored in a 3–3 draw against Southampton in December 2012.
Playing for Brighton & Hove Albion
On January 31, 2013, Upson joined Brighton & Hove Albion on loan. He stayed there until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for Brighton in a big 6–1 win against Blackpool. After being released by Stoke, Upson joined Brighton permanently on July 10, 2013. He signed a one-year contract. He was voted the club's Player of the Year for the 2013–14 season.
Leicester City and Milton Keynes Dons
On May 23, 2014, Upson signed a one-year contract with Leicester City. They had just been promoted to the Premier League. He was injured for the first half of the season. Upson made his Leicester debut in February 2015 against his old club, Arsenal. He left Leicester when his contract ended.
On July 30, 2015, Upson joined Milton Keynes Dons. He made his debut in a League Cup match. He played only a few more games for the club. His contract was not renewed, and he retired from playing football in 2016.
Matthew Upson's International Career
Upson played for England at youth levels. He played twelve times for the under-21 team, scoring two goals. Because he played regularly for Birmingham City, he was chosen for the senior England squad. He made his debut for England against South Africa in May 2003. He earned seven caps while playing for Birmingham.
In February 2008, Upson was called up to the England squad again. He played against Switzerland. This was his eighth cap, more than three years after his last game. He also started against Kazakhstan in October.
Upson scored his first goal for England on November 19, 2008, in a friendly match against Germany. England won the game 2–1. He was named man of the match. He was part of England's squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. On June 23, he made his World Cup debut against Slovenia. He scored England's only goal in the 4–1 defeat against Germany in the round of 16. This was his second goal for England, and both were against Germany. It made him England's joint top scorer for the 2010 World Cup.
Personal Life and Beyond Football
Matthew Upson was born in Eye, Suffolk. He went to Diss High School in Norfolk.
Matthew Upson has a son named Elijah with British runner Ellie Darby. After retiring from playing, Upson has worked as a football pundit. He has appeared on the BBC's Match of the Day. He also helped cover the 2018 World Cup and 2022 World Cup for the BBC.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Luton Town | 1995–96 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1996–97 | Second Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Arsenal | 1997–98 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 0 | ||
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2000–01 | First Division | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Crystal Palace (loan) | 2000–01 | First Division | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Reading (loan) | 2002–03 | First Division | 14 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| Birmingham City | 2002–03 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | |||
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 2 | |||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | |||
| 2006–07 | Championship | 9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 2 | |||
| Total | 113 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 128 | 5 | ||||
| West Ham United | 2006–07 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 1 | |||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 3 | |||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| Total | 131 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 145 | 4 | ||||
| Stoke City | 2011–12 | Premier League | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 25 | 2 | |
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 1 | |||
| Total | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 27 | 3 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 2012–13 | Championship | 18 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2013–14 | Championship | 43 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 47 | 2 | |
| Total | 61 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 67 | 3 | |||
| Leicester City | 2014–15 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2015–16 | Championship | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 386 | 14 | 26 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 462 | 16 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2003 | 6 | 0 |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 3 | 1 | |
| Total | 21 | 2 | |
- England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Upson goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 November 2008 | Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany | 12 |  Germany |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 27 June 2010 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa | 21 | Germany |
1–2 | 1–4 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
Honours and Awards
Arsenal
- Premier League: 2001–02
- FA Community Shield: 2002
Individual
- Brighton & Hove Albion Player of the Year: 2013–14
See also
In Spanish: Matthew Upson para niños
