Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown lost millions of pounds in failed property deals and also racked up car debt, it has been revealed.
The Mirror detailed earlier this week how Brown, who used to earn around £50,000-a-week during his Old Trafford days, had been the subject of a bankruptcy petition from HMRC. The order was published this week in The Gazette after being approved by the High Court on April 12.
And now fresh details have emerged, shedding light on how the multi-time Premier League winner was declared bankrupt after falling into six-figure debt with the HRMC and falling behind on car payments to a finance company.
The Daily Mail have detailed how two creditors petitioned against Brown, who owed 'just a few thousand pounds' to the car company - highlighting how bad his financial plight had become.
Brown, 43, split from his wife, Leanne, a star of the Real Housewives of Cheshire, last year and the report claims the ex-United star has also had to pay out on a 'costly divorce.'
A source close to the former England star have attributed his financial difficulties to 'bad property deals'. The source said: "It may seem like Wes was earning big money — to most people he was — but the trouble was he was also trying to keep up with the lifestyle of team-mates earning five or six times more than he was.
"Most of his money disappeared in bad property deals. He overpaid on the farm that Leanne lives in. He spent something like £6million or £7m to buy that. They have tried to sell it but haven’t managed to, even after lowering the price to £4.75m. Any money left is tied up in the farm.
"A previous property of theirs was once listed at £4.5m but took seven years to sell, finally going for £2.4million — almost half price."
Several of Brown's former teammates, including Wayne Rooney and Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick, have come together to support their friend, who is believed to be reportedly renting a property from current United forward Marcus Rashford at 'mates rates'.
Brown won 23 caps for England during his playing career, as well as five Premier League titles whilst playing under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. He also won two Champions League titles, two FA Cup's and two League Cups during his stint at Old Trafford. Brown was also a key part of the iconic 1999 treble-winning team and clocked up over 200 appearances for the club before departing for Sunderland back in 2011.
Brown also played for Blackburn Rovers and Kerala Blasters in India, where he linked up with former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen. Brown called time on his playing career back in 2018.
