Wes Brown facts for kids
Brown in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wesley Michael Brown | ||
| Date of birth | 13 October 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Longsight, Manchester, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| 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 a former English professional footballer. He played mainly as a centre back or right back. Wes Brown spent most of his career at Manchester United. There, he won 13 important trophies. These included five Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions Leagues.
Brown started his football journey at Manchester United's academy. He joined when he was just 12 years old in 1992. He became a professional player in 1996. His first senior game was in 1998. He became a regular player during the 1998–99 season. This was when the club won the amazing "Treble." This means they won three major trophies in one season.
After a break due to injury, Brown played regularly from 2000 onwards. Over the next eight years, he won many more awards. These included four more Premier League titles and another Champions League. Sir Alex Ferguson, his former manager, called him "the best natural defender" the club had seen in years. After 15 years, Brown moved to Sunderland. He played there for five years. He helped them reach the 2014 League Cup final.
Brown first played for England in 1999. He was chosen for the 2002 World Cup. He played in the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2008. However, England did not make it to the main tournament. He scored his first goal for England in 2008 against the Czech Republic. Brown stopped playing for England on 8 August 2010. This was just one day after he was called back to the team.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Manchester United
Wes Brown was born in Longsight, Manchester. He started playing football as a schoolboy. He played for his school and a youth team called Fletcher Rangers. He also spent time at Manchester United's football Academy. He joined the Academy when he was 12. Brown was very talented from a young age. He signed his first professional contract with Manchester United on 4 November 1996. He was 17 years old.
Brown did very well with the youth teams. He won the FA Youth Cup. He also won two Jimmy Murphy (Young Player of the Year) awards. He was only the second player to win this award twice.
On 4 May 1998, Brown played his first game in the Premier League. He came on as a substitute against Leeds United. The next season, 1998–99, was his big breakthrough. He played many games as a right-back and also as a centre-back. Manchester United won the "treble" that season. They won the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League.
Brown had some injuries during his career. He missed the 1999–2000 season due to an injury. Manchester United still won their sixth Premier League title that year. He made a strong comeback the next year. His manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, said Brown was Manchester United's most talented defender.
He had a great 2000–01 season. He continued to play well in 2001–02. His reputation grew even more during the 2002–03 season. But injuries affected his playing time again. He tore a knee ligament and returned midway through the 2003–04 season. Brown finished that season strongly. He was named "man of the match" in the FA Cup semi-final win against Arsenal.
Brown was part of the team that won the FA Cup that year. They beat Millwall in Cardiff. He later earned runner-up medals in the 2005 and 2007 FA Cup finals.
Later Years at United
In the 2007–08 season, Brown became the main right-back for the club. He ended the season by helping Cristiano Ronaldo score a goal in the 2008 Champions League final. Manchester United won the game on penalty kicks. This completed a league and European "double" for the team.
Brown scored his first Premier League goal for United in nearly three years on 23 March 2008. It was against Liverpool in a 3–0 win. He signed a new five-year contract in April 2008. This kept him at Old Trafford until 2013.
On 4 October 2008, Brown scored his fourth goal for Manchester United. He headed in a cross from Wayne Rooney in a 2–0 win against Blackburn Rovers.
Brown had an ankle operation in November 2008. He returned to play against Hull City on 24 May 2009. He captained Manchester United in a League Cup game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. They won the match 3–2. On 19 February, he scored his first FA Cup goal. It was in Manchester United's 1–0 win over Crawley Town. He also captained the team in that game.
Moving to Sunderland
Brown joined Sunderland on 7 July 2011. He signed a four-year contract. He played his first game for Sunderland against Liverpool. He was named "man of the match" in the 1–1 draw. On 5 November 2011, Brown scored an own goal against his old club, Manchester United. His first goal for Sunderland came on 21 December 2011. He scored the winning goal in a 3–2 victory against Queens Park Rangers.
Brown faced some challenges with red cards at Sunderland. On 28 February 2015, he was wrongly sent off during a match against Manchester United. The red card was later removed after Sunderland appealed the decision. At the end of the 2014–15 season, he signed a new one-year contract extension.
Blackburn Rovers and Kerala Blasters
On 21 September 2016, Brown signed a short-term contract with Blackburn Rovers. He also took on a coaching role with the club's youth team. He made his debut and scored his first goal for Blackburn on 17 December 2016 against Reading.
In August 2017, Brown joined Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters. He reunited with his former Manchester United coach, René Meulensteen, there.
Coaching Career
Wes Brown was part of the coaching team for the Blackburn Rovers Under-23s and Academy. He helped guide the younger players. He has a UEFA 'A' Licence, which is a high-level coaching qualification.
International Career with England
Brown played for the England national team. He made 23 appearances for his country. He was part of the England squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
He made his England debut in 1999 against Hungary. He was chosen for the 2002 World Cup squad. However, he spent his time on the bench during the tournament.
Brown played well in the 2005–06 season. This led to him being called back to the England squad. He played in a win against Andorra in UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying. He played alongside John Terry in defence.
Under Fabio Capello
When Fabio Capello became England's coach, he picked Brown to start his first two games. These were against Switzerland and France.
Brown scored his only goal for England on 20 August 2008. It was in a friendly match against the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium. He headed in a corner kick from David Beckham.
Brown played in three of England's qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup. He played in wins against Croatia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. He also played in a friendly against Brazil. Brown did not make the final England squad for the 2010 World Cup. He announced his retirement from international football on 8 August 2010.
Personal Life
Wes Brown was married to Leanne Wassell. They have three daughters together. His younger brother, Reece, also played football. He played for Bury and was an England under-20 international. Another brother, Clive, also played football for various clubs.
Honours
Manchester United
- Premier League: 1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08
- FA Cup: 1998–99, 2003–04
- Football League Cup: 2005–06, 2009–10
- FA Community Shield: 2007, 2008
- UEFA Champions League: 1998–99, 2007–08
Sunderland
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2013–14
Individual
- Jimmy Murphy Academy Player of the Year: 1997–98, 1998–99
- PFA Team of the Year: 2000–01 Premier League
See also
In Spanish: Wes Brown (futbolista) para niños
