A composed, consistent central defender, Matthew Upson has become an influential figure at the Boleyn Ground since joining West Ham United on the final day of the January transfer window in 2007. So much so that he was named captain at the start of the 2009/10 season, having become a mainstay for club and country.

Upson has forged a reputation as a calm, assured presence at the heart of the Hammers' rearguard, forcing his way into Fabio Capello's senior England squad in the process.

Having previously been capped seven times under Sven-Goran Eriksson, Upson has become a regular member of Capello's selections since returning to the international fold in the Italian's first match in charge against Switzerland at Wembley in February 2008.

That call-up was the reward for a superb 2007/08 season during which Upson made 33 league and cup appearances, scoring a memorable winner in the 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory over Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground in December 2007.

Signed from Birmingham City, Upson struggled to make an impact during the second half of the dramatic 2006/07 campaign due to a recurring calf injury he initially suffered on his debut at Aston Villa. The injury struck again on his return to first-team action against Tottenham Hotspur on 4 March, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.

The defender's misfortune summed up the injury problems that plagued the early years of his hugely promising career.

After making just two senior appearances for first club Luton Town, the 18-year-old Upson was snapped up by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for £2m in May 1997.

Two years later, he suffered a serious cruciate knee ligament injury, ruling him out of the game for a year. Finding his way into the first-team blocked on his return, Upson opted to join Nottingham Forest on loan in December 2000, only for the spell to be cut short by injury after just one match.

Undeterred, Upson went on loan again, this time to Crystal Palace. There, he made seven league appearances before returning to Highbury for the 2001/02 season. That year, Upson made 14 Barclays Premier League appearances as the Gunners romped to the title. However, even then his campaign was ruined by a broken leg suffered in February 2002, ruling him out of Arsenal's successful run to FA Cup glory.

The following season, 2002/03, began with Upson spending three months on loan at Reading, impressing as the Royals conceded just four goals in 14 league matches. After returning to Arsenal and playing one final game for the club in the FA Cup victory over Oxford United, he was on his way to Birmingham City in mid-January 2003.

A month after moving to St Andrews, Upson received his first England call-up, being named as an unused substitute as England slumped to a shock 3-1 loss to future team-mate Lucas Neill's Australia at the Boleyn Ground on 12 February 2003. His senior debut would come in May of that year in the 2-1 friendly win over South Africa in Durban.

Such was Upson's form that he was named among the standby players for the 2004 UEFA European Championship in Portugal.

Back at club level, Birmingham City were relegated from the top-flight in May 2006, and Upson decided to move on in January 2007. After an initial bid was rejected, West Ham finally got their man for an initial fee of £6m, rising to a possible £7.5m, on transfer deadline day.

After overcoming his initial injury problems, Upson has settled in to life at the Boleyn Ground superbly, making 74 first-team appearances during the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons. He finished third in the Hammer of the Year voting at the end of both campaigns.

That consistency was rewarded when the popular defender, a former England Under-21 international, notched his first senior international goal in England's 2-1 friendly win over Germany in Berlin in November 2008.

Initially handed the No6 shirt on his arrival at the Boleyn Ground, Upson switched to No15 after his original number was retired in honour of Bobby Moore OBE at the beginning of the 2008/09 season. Upson handed his final shirt to Moore's widow Stephanie at half-time in the inaugural Bobby Moore Cup fixture against Spanish side Villarreal on 9 August 2008.