Matthew Upson was born in Suffolk, England and begin his early football career in 1994, training with Luton Town.  In April 1996 he signed a professional contract with the Club, but only made a single appearance for them, in the August of that year, in a match against Rotherham United.

In May 1997 he joined Arsenal in a £2 million deal but the following seasons saw him suffer a setback through injury, along with loans to Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, and he didn’t manage to break into the first team properly.  He started the 2001 - 2002 season well with 22 appearances for his side, but a broken leg in the February put him out of action again.

In September 2002, after making a full recovery, Upson went to Reading on a loan for three months.  It was during this period that he scored his first professional goal.

Upson suffered a calf injury less than halfway through his debut for West Ham, and didn’t manage to complete a full game for his new club until August 2007 when they played against Manchester City.  Upson eventually made Captain, taking up the role in August 2009.

At international level, Upson debuted for the senior England squad on 22 May 2003 in a match against South Africa.  His first international goal came on 19 November 2008 in a match against Germany, which they won 2-1.  Upson last played for England against Egypt on 3 March 2010.