Wes Brown was a Manchester United academy graduate who wound up completing his playing career in India after a long, successful period in England.
One of the most underrated players of the Sir Alex Ferguson era at Manchester United, Wes Brown, rarely gets the flowers he deserves.
Particularly in 2008, with Gary Neville injured, Brown started the Champions League final in which United claimed a third crown.
But he didn’t bow out of professional football at the highest level, instead making a switch to India after spells with Sunderland and Blackburn. Now, he’s revealed his feelings on playing in Asia and what it was really like.
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Wes Brown celebrates.
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Wes Brown discusses finishing his career in India
Brown has appeared on the latest episode of Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt’s podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Football, discussing this point in his career.
“I got a text, ‘Do you want to come and play one more season?’ Rene Meulensteen, in India”, Brown explained.
“I remember saying to Rene, ‘My knees are not the best, mate’, and he said, ‘It’s 18 games, it’s a different environment, Berba’s coming, Paul Rachubka, Iain Hume already there.’
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“Absolutely brilliant. I absolutely buzzed off it. I was in Kerala, which is in the south. At Christmas, they still had a break; the Maldives was just there, just an hour away. It was good.
“The last three [games] I couldn’t walk. Mentally, you just do it because it’s nearly finished and you’re happy with it. It was OK, everyone could play football.”
Brown was asked about the facilities, “Ours was good. It was getting better; we had a new complex.”
Brown only played 15 times for the Indian side, scoring once.
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There were eye-brows raised when Brown made the move to India, due to the status of football in the country, firmly behind cricket as the top sport. But the experience always sounded entirely positive.
“I just love being in a football environment, being with the lads, getting the buzz, playing. While I can still run, I will play,” Brown told MEN Sport in 2017.
“But when Rene got hold of me, I just felt I was ready, it was something different, a new challenge and a new experience.
“My former United colleague Mikael Silvestre has been over there, and I spoke to him about the experience and he said I’d love it. He said the fans are enthusiastic, atmosphere is good, and it is always buzzing at matches. So I thought it was worth a go.
“Ex-United goalkeeper Paul Rachubka is also going out to Kerala. We got in contact again, and it will be good to have someone else out there with me on the playing side.”
Manchester United should tour India
Despite the nation being the most populous in the world and having a strong United fanbase, the club has never actually played a game in India.
There had been plans to do so in 2020, when there was a potential Kolkata visit on the cards before being scrapped due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
However, football is a growing sport and market in India and surrounding nations, making it a top contender for a tour in the near future.
Last summer, United sent Harry Maguire, Andre Onana, and Diogo Dalot to Mumbai for an event, which should be followed by a full-blown tour in the coming years.
This summer, United appears set for a tour based in Europe, but an India or a South Asian tour in general would be brilliant for the club to help the growth of football and also the fanbase.
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