A few years prior to the Carson Yeung era, Birmingham City were a half decent Premiership side. With Steve Bruce at the helm, Matthew Upson was bought in from Arsenal for a £1m fee which eventually rose to £3m.
Upson went on to form a solid central defensive partnership with Kenny ‘the King` Cunningham. All in all, the Suffolk-born man turned out for Blues on 128 occasions over four years.
The highlight of Upson`s time in B9 was his call-up for the England squad. After impressive performances for Blues, he made his senior bow against South Africa in 2003.
Of course, it all ended on a sour note, as most things that involve Blues do. After breaking his leg in a local derby against Aston Villa, a season that saw Blues relegated back to the Championship, Upson was the subject of bids from West Ham United in the January transfer window of 2007. After rejecting three initial offers, Upson was sold to the Hammers for £7.5m.
Bruce later confirmed that the player was sold against his wishes, a comment which further soured relations between the Geordie and the St. Andrew`s hierarchy.
Upson went on to make 145 appearances for West Ham, but was plagued with injuries, as was the story for a large chunk of his career.
Upson was capped by England 21 times, including seven times during his spell at Blues. He also played for Luton Town, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Reading, Stoke City, Brighton and Leicester City.
Matthew Upson by numbers:
Age: 36
Appearances for Blues: 128
Goals for Blues: 5
Total career appearances: 455
Total career goals: 16
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