Former England and Manchester United footballer Wes Brown has been declared bankrupt by the High Court.
HMRC filed for bankruptcy on 27 February against Brown, who reportedly earned £50,000 a week during his playing days at Old Trafford.
The petition was stamped by the Supreme Court on April 12 and listed in The Gazette, the official public record.
43-year-old defender Brown spent 15 years in United’s first team after coming through the youth ranks of the Old Trafford club.
He made 362 appearances for the club, winning five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, two League Cups and two Champions Leagues in an illustrious career.
Brown pictured with ex-wife Leanne – it was reported that the pair split last year
Former Manchester United and England defender Wes Brown has been declared bankrupt
Brown made 23 appearances for England and also played for Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers after leaving United in 2011.
Last year it was reported that Brown had split from his wife Leanne, 46, who appeared on the reality TV show Real Housewives of Cheshire. They married in 2009 and have three daughters together.
Wes has reportedly moved out of the house he shared with Leanne and their children Halle, Lilia and Lola.
A source told The sun at the time: “Wes and Leanne split before Christmas (2021). No third parties were involved; it’s just a sad fact that their marriage has run its course.
‘Leanne has thrived in bachelor life and has taken off her wedding ring. She has told people that she feels free and works hard at her business and is thriving as an independent woman.
“Wes, meanwhile, carries on as best he can. There have been rumors of problems in their marriage for some time, but they have put on a brave face in public.’
The source added that the former couple is doing their best to raise their children together and lead separate lives.
In 2016, the couple lowered the asking price for their previous home, a country house in Prestbury, Cheshire, to £2.4 million after it went on the market six years earlier for £4.5 million.
Leanne took to Instagram to share a heartfelt post suggesting she was working on herself after their breakup last year
Leanne and Wes pictured with their three daughters Halle, Lilia and Lola in 2019
Leanne said in 2019, “Yeah we have a beautiful 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. While the fans can be great, they can also be very cruel.
“It must be hard (for footballers) to deal with being on top one minute and hating a bad kick or missing the goal the next.
“We are the ones left to pick up the pieces and bear the brunt of what is left at the end of their careers.
‘Sometimes it’s hard to be alone a lot. The lads are away a lot, especially when involved with a high-profile club and also as an England international.’
Brown will take part in the Manchester Remembers charity football match for the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing on May 7.
He will play alongside former United teammates Nicky Butt and Trevor Sinclair in the match at Oldham’s Boundary Park, with boxing legend Ricky Hatton and comedian Jason Manford on the celebrity squad they face.
Brown’s revelations follow Craig Bellamy’s exclusive interview with Mail Sport, in which he confirmed that he too had declared bankruptcy.
Last month, Bellamy said, “I’ve been living on death row for the past five or six years, waiting for someone to put me out. I’ve been waiting for the cell door to open and someone says: “Today is the day”.
“It’s like feeling like you can’t look forward to anything. All the money I’ve made, I can’t get a mortgage. I have no future financially. The pain of that. I can’t own anything. Everything is gone.’
Born in the Longsight area of Manchester, Brown joined United’s academy aged 12 and signed professional terms with the club in November 1996 aged 17.
After winning the FA Youth Cup with United’s reserve team, Alex Ferguson gave him his senior debut against Leeds United at the end of the 1997–98 season.
Brown enjoyed his first-team breakthrough, making 21 appearances during United’s historic 1998–99 campaign, as they won a historic Treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.
Despite a succession of injury setbacks and strong competition in defensive positions, Brown played regularly as United won the 2002–03 Premier League.
Brown (second from right) celebrates with his Manchester United teammates after they reached the 2008 Champions League final by beating Barcelona
He made 52 appearances in the 2007-08 season, which saw United win another league title, and provided the cross from which Cristiano Ronaldo headed them to Chelsea in the Champions League final. United won on penalties.
Stricken with more injury woes, his time at United ran out and Brown joined Sunderland in the summer of 2011. He made 87 appearances for the club over the course of five seasons before completing his career with Blackburn and Indian club Kerala Blasters.
Brown made his England debut against Hungary in 1999 and was included in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
With stiff competition from Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, John Terry and others, Brown was limited to 23 appearances in England.
