6 top defenders who switched to lesser leagues in the twilight of their careers

#5 Wes Brown

Wes Brown

Many of you may wonder what Wes Brown is doing on the list of ‘top’ defenders. To them, I’d say Wes Brown has more Premier League titles (five) than Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard combined and more Champions League triumphs (two) than all of the London clubs combined.

If you don’t agree with me, read what the greatest club football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, had to say about Brown in 2006, when the club at the time employed Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. 'Brown is without question the best natural defender this club has had for years.' That’s a clincher, isn’t it?

After 15 seasons with Manchester United and a further 5 with Sunderland, Brown joined Championship side Blackburn Rovers in September 2016, signing on until the end of the season and also taking up a coaching role with the club. He made his debut against Reading FC, scoring a goal in the process but injuries prevented him from making more than 4 appearances as Blackburn were relegated to League-One.

Brown then signed with Rene Muelensteen’s Kerala Blasters of the Indian Super League making 13 appearances in the 2017-18 edition scoring once as the club finished 6th and didn’t qualify for the semi-finals.