Matthew Upson

Birmingham City Birmingham City completed the signing of Upson from Arsenal in January 2003, for what BBC Sport thought to be an initial fee of £1 million, potentially rising to £3 million depending on appearances.

He suffered a leg injury whilst preparing for the local derby against Aston Villa in April 2006 and subsequently missed the rest of the season as Birmingham City were relegated to the Championship. Upson remained with the club while he worked on regaining his fitness, and returned to action in December in the 3–0 victory over Plymouth Argyle, scoring the second of the three goals.

West Ham United

On 18 January 2007, Birmingham rejected West Ham United's bid for Upson of £4 million, and turned down an improved bid of £6 million a few days later. An offer of £6 million, with the potential to rise to £7.5 million depending on appearances, was accepted on the last day of the transfer window, and Upson agreed a four-and-a-half-year contract with West Ham. Birmingham City's manager Steve Bruce later claimed that he did not want to sell Upson, but was forced to do so by the club's managing director Karren Brady.

Upson suffered a calf injury less than 30 minutes into his West Ham United debut, a 1–0 defeat against Aston Villa. He then lasted just 11 minutes of his comeback match before coming off injured against Tottenham Hotspur in a 4–3 loss at Upton Park in March 2007.

Upson completed his first full match for West Ham in the 2–0 home defeat to Manchester City in August 2007. One week later he made his first appearance as West Ham captain in the 1–0 away win against former club Birmingham City. On 29 December, Upson scored for the first time in West Ham colours when he headed in the winning goal against Premier League champions Manchester United.

In July 2008, Upson's squad number of 6 was retired by the club in memory of Bobby Moore, after which he took the number 15 shirt. In August 2009, following the departure of Lucas Neill, Upson was appointed captain of West Ham. He captained West Ham through a difficult 2009–10 campaign in which he scored a goal in the opening match against Wolverhampton Wanderers and two more against Stoke City and Portsmouth.

Stoke City Upson joined Stoke City on a two-year contract on 9 August 2011. He said that playing in the UEFA Europa League was one of the main reasons he decided to join Stoke. Upson made his debut for Stoke in a 1–0 victory over FC Thun in the Europa League, and scored his first goal for the club in the second leg in a 4–1 victory at the Britannia Stadium. After joining Stoke, Upson and fellow summer signing Jonathan Woodgate were used as backup to first-choice centre backs Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross. He was a regular in the Europa League, appearing in all six group matches, but was sent off in the last as Stoke qualified for the round of 32. He scored his first league goal for Stoke in a 2–0 home win against Swansea City on 26 February 2012 in a man-of-the-match performance. With Shawcross suspended, Upson made his first League appearance of the 2012–13 season on 29 December 2012 against Southampton; he scored Stoke's second goal in a 3–3 draw.

Brighton & Hove Albion On 31 January 2013, Upson joined Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for the Seagulls in a 6–1 win over Blackpool on 20 April. Upson joined Brighton on a permanent basis on 10 July 2013, signing a one-year contract. He was voted the club's Player of the Year in 2013–14.

Leicester City On 23 May 2014, Upson agreed a one-year contract with newly promoted Premier League club Leicester City. After spending the first half of the season on the sidelines with injury, he returned to full training in late January 2015. On 10 February, Upson made his Leicester debut, playing nearly an hour before being substituted, in a 2–1 defeat to his former club Arsenal. He was released when his contract expired at the end of the season. He made his debut on 11 August in the 2–1 League Cup first round win against Leyton Orient, but made only six more appearances for the club and his contract was not renewed. He retired from playing in 2016.

International career

Upson played for England at youth level before being capped twelve times for the under-21 team, for whom he scored two goals. Regular Premier League football for Birmingham City in the 2002–03 season led to his selection for the senior squad, and he made his debut for England against South Africa in May 2003. He was named in the starting line-up to partner Rio Ferdinand, winning his eighth England cap more than three years after his last appearance.

Upson scored his first goal for England on 19 November 2008 in a friendly match against Germany. The match finished 2–1 to England and Upson picked up ITV's man of the match award. He was included in England's squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. On 23 June, making his World Cup debut, he played in the third match of the group stage, against Slovenia after being an unused substitute in the first two matches. He scored England's goal in the 4–1 defeat against Germany in the round of 16 his second goal for England and his second against Germany.

Upson and British runner Ellie Darby have a son named Elijah who came through the Tottenham Hotspur's academy. In July 2026, Elijah signed for Matthew's former club Arsenal.

Upson has appeared as a football pundit for the BBC's Match of the Day and during their 2018 World Cup and 2022 World Cup coverage.

Career statistics Club

International England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Upson goal. FA Community Shield: 2002

Individual Brighton & Hove Albion Player of the Year: 2013–14