Matthew Upson Bio Send To Friend  

Upson is a highly-rated centre-back who cost West Ham United £6m in January 2007 and has finally emerged as a defender of quality for club and country after enduring an injury-ravaged beginning to his Hammers career.

He began his career at Luton Town and had made only two appearances when Arsenal paid £2m for him in 1997 - the first Englishman bought by Arsene Wenger.

However, he failed to break into the side and joined First Division side Nottingham Forest on loan in December 2000, playing just one game because of injury. Another loan spell came at the beginning of March 2001 when he moved across London to join Crystal Palace where he made seven appearances, following a successful return from a cruciate knee injury.

He finally earned a run of games at Arsenal in 2001-02 and grew in stature as the season went on. He played 14 Premiership games that season to earn a Championship medal. But, after failing to feature in the first few games of the next season, he was loaned out to Reading in a three-month loan deal in September 2002. Upson enjoyed a hugely impressive spell at the Madejski Stadium, a rock at the heart of the defence, but his future at the Gunners was dead.

Birmingham City moved in with a bid of £1m, rising to £2.5m, in mid-January 2003 and his move to the Midlands coincided with his first call-up to the senior England squad, in February. He finally made his senior debut - as a second-half substitute for Rio Ferdinand - in the 2-1 friendly win over South Africa in May.

His elevation to the senior England squad was a clear indicator of his impact at Birmingham and he just missed out on England's squad for Euro 2004, named among the standby players.

Following Birmingham's relegation to the Championship, Upson caught the eye of West Ham signed the player for £6m, with the fee possibly rising to £7.5m; but managed only two games in the season however, as a calf injury ruined his debut, before lasting only 11 minutes in his comeback game against Spurs.

Fit again for 2007-08, Upson showed his importance to West Ham and was named captain against his former club, Birmingham. He put his injury woes behind him and made over 60 appearances for the club in two seasons; while also cementing his place in the England squad after a Man of the Match performance in a friendly against Germany.