Wes Brown

Wes Brown Stats
-Full Name: Wesley Michael Brown
-Birthplace: Longsight, Manchester, England
-Date of Birth: 13/11/1979
-Height: 185cm (6ft 1ins)
-Weight: 74kg (163lbs)
-Position: R. Back, C. Back
-Squad Number: 6

International Football
England (1999 -)

Wes Brown Manchester United Career
The young Wes brown was brought up in the notorious Manchester district of Longsight and commenced his football career playing for Burnage High School and local youth side Fletcher Moss Rangers, as well as attending the F.A. 's much maligned School of Excellence at Lilleshaw.
At the age of 12 Brown attended Manchester United's academy where he showed great potential and signed professionally on 4 November 1996 at the age of 17.

Before he was deemed ready for the first team Wes Brown served his apprenticeship with youth side - picking up an F.A. Youth Cup winners medal in 1995 - and in the reserve team set-up.

The defender made his first team debut on 4 May 1998 when he came on as a second half substitute in the fierce cross Pennine derby against Leeds United. The following season Wes Brown established himself as one of the best prospects in the English game and as a possible future England captain after making 24 League appearances in Manchester United's treble winning season of 1998-99.

However, during the close season of 1999 the defender suffered, what would turn out to be the first of many serious injuries endured during a frustrating early career, when he badly injured his cruciate knee ligament, a problem which would keep him out of action for the whole of the 1999-2000 campaign.

The following season Wes Brown made a remarkable comeback, which earnt him praise from many leading professionals in the English game, least not Sir Alex Ferguson who proclaimed the player as the most naturally gifted defender at the club.

After a superb 2001-2002 season Wes Brown was called up to England's 2002 World Cup squad for the tournament, to be held in Japan & South Korea. Although the defender failed to make a appearances in Sven Goran Eriksson's 5 games, his inclusion in the squad did confirm the player as one of the best centre backs in the country.

On the 19 February 2003 Brown scored his first senior goal for Manchester United - in a 5 year career - when he scored The Reds opening goal in the 2-1 UEFA Champions League victory over Juventus at Old Trafford.

Just when the Brown was establishing himself in United's first team and the England set-up injury plagued his campaign in 2002-2003 culminating in the player tearing a knee ligament against Everton on the last day of the season. This latest set-back kept him out of action for seven months.

When the player came back he finished the season in superb form and arguably played his greatest game for the club in the 2004 F.A. Cup semi-final win over Arsenal, when he picked up the man-of-the-match award in a quite stunning display of defending.

Although Wes Brown was in fantastic form he was surprisingly left out of England's Euro 2004 squad. But the good news was the player could concentrate on getting fit for Manchester United's 2004-2005 campaign.

The 2007-2008 season looked as though it might be Brown's last at United when he stalled over the signing of a new contract, a contract which he had rejected as far back as December 2007, but after playing an integral part in the club's UEFA Champions and English Premier League double the defender put pen to paper on a lucrative 5 year deal.

Wes Brown Honours
Manchester United
-FA Premier League: 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008,2009
-UEFA Champions League: 1999, 2008
-FA Cup: 2004
-League Cup: 2006