Wes Brown: Former Man Utd & England defender declared bankrupt | OneFootball

Former Manchester United and England defender Wes Brown has been declared bankrupt, according to a report from the Daily Mirror.

HMRC filed a bankruptcy petition against the former England international at the end of February.

The High Court then confirmed the action on April 12 and the order was made public earlier this week.

The former £50,000-a-week man spent much of his career at Old Trafford and won his fair share of honours in his 15-year stint at the club.

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However, Brown is far from the only former Premier League star to experience financial problems at the end of his career. Earlier this month, ex-Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City forward Craig Bellamy spoke out about his own bankruptcy woes.

Brown's bankruptcy comes off the back of a tough period in his personal life.

It was reported last year that Brown had split from his wife Leanne, 46, who was a reality TV star on the show Real Housewives of Cheshire.

They got married back in 2009 and had three daughters together 13 years after tying the knot.

Brown, now 43, reportedly moved out of the house that he shared with Leanne and their children following the split.

Back in 2016, Wes and Leanne made the choice to significantly slash the price tag on their previous home in Prestbury, Cheshire.

The asking price of their mansion, initially put on the market for £4.5m six years prior, was then slashed to £2.4m.

Brown's ex-wife revealed the toll of being married to a high-profile footballer in 2019

Three years later, Leanne revealed: “Yes, we’ve got a lovely life and all this money, and I’m not saying the money isn’t great but when you’re in it, you’re living in this bubble. Although the fans can be amazing, they can also be very cruel.

“It must be hard [for footballers] to deal with to be on top one minute and hated the next for a bad kick or missing the goal. We are the ones that are left to pick up the pieces and bear the brunt of whatever is left at the end of their careers.

“Sometimes it’s hard being alone a lot. The lads are away a lot, especially if involved in a high-profile club and England international, too.”

Wes Brown’s footballing career was packed with silverware

Originally from Wilmslow in Cheshire, Brown penned a deal with United when he was still attending school and made his debut for the Red Devils in 1998.

A graduate of the club's academy, Brown was regarded highly among his teammates and was the youngest member of United's squad when they beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the 1999 Champions League final to secure the treble.

Brown went on to make 362 appearances for the Premier League giants and won five domestic titles, four domestic cups, and the Champions League on two occasions in that sequence.

His time in England continued as he signed for Sunderland on a four-year contract after departing United, before playing a handful of games for Blackburn Rovers.

Brown concluded his career at Indian side Kerala Blasters in 2018. He was the last member of Manchester United’s treble-winning side to hang up his boots.

In addition to his stellar club career, Brown represented England on 23 occasions between 1999 and 2010.

Brown is set to dust off his boots to take part in a charity-based football match next month, with all proceedings going to those affected by the 2017 Manchester Arena bombings.