Wes Brown speaks for first time on going bankrupt after ex-Man Utd star lost millions
Former England international defender Wes Brown won the Champions League with Manchester United in 1999 and 2008 but was later the subject of a bankruptcy order
Wes Brown has opened up about being declared bankrupt, almost a year after a petition was filed against him by HMRC.
Brown, 44, made more than 300 Premier League appearances during a career which saw him turn out for Manchester United and Sunderland, among others. He was part of both of United's Champions League winning squads under Sir Alex Ferguson, starting the final against Chelsea in 2008, but lost millions after ending his playing career.
The 23-cap England international is understood to have lost millions in property deals. The versatile defender also split from wife Leanne in 2022.
Speaking to The Ben Heath Podcast, Brown has opened up on the issues which he said "came to a head" in 2023. In speaking out, he said other players have indicated to him they're in similar situations today.
READ MORE: Watch the climax of the Premier League title race and Champions League with TNT Sports"It's a long story and I won't go into the detail, but it's stuff that happened a long time ago with certain investments and getting into stuff that as a young kid, a lot of people go into, [but] don't really understand what a lot of people are doing.
"Then it came to a head last year, and that's how it went. Like I said, it's happened and I'm just getting on with it but it's one of those things where you hope people, especially this generation, don't get involved in."
"Something a lot of especially footballers went into, a lot of people have been able to get themselves out of it or they've been sorting it out or whatever, but I just couldn't. There's not much I could do."
"I think the main thing going forward for me is I'm very lucky to still be doing what I'm doing and getting on with it. It's not a nice thing, but I'm not the sort of person to cry about it or moan about it."
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When pressed further, he said: "I've had a lot of players that have said 'I'm in the same thing'. I won't say names... and it doesn't necessarily mean that the same outcome will happen to them," he added.
"But it's stuff like when you're kids you don't really understand it anyway, you just assume a lot of people are doing it and it's fine. That's not your life, you're just playing football.
"I think the main thing is when you are making a lot of money, you need the right people, don't you?" he added. "And I would say that's one of the things I didn't have.
"It was a little bit different. It wasn't lots of people you go and speak to, just you maybe meet people and do this do that. I wasn't interested in any of that. You said yes and got on with it.
Earlier this year, former Everton and Ireland star Gareth Farrelly told Mirror Football about the scale of football's bankruptcy crisis. The 48-year-old, who now works as a lawyer, indicated generous wages are no protection against the problems afflicting a number of former players.
“There are pressures, there are insecurities,” Farrelly said.. “Players want to be seen as highly-valued and one way of demonstrating that is through what they are purchasing.
“Nice clothes, cars, a nice watch, the latest headphones. There are images to conform to so players lower down and young players look at what the top players are wearing to be accepted within that group. That becomes a habit and it’s hard to break it. It’s difficult to maintain the lifestyle.”
“You’ve got a house, car, lifestyle commensurate with your football contract," he added. "You make one or two bad investments and you’re done. You will never be able to carry the losses, based on initial net investments. This emphasises the importance of having good people around you.”
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