Matthew Upson played six times for England in 2009.

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Nationwide England Player of the Year 2009 candidates
Matthew Upson
Age 30
Date of Birth 18.04.1979
Total Caps 18
Total Goals 1
2009 Caps 6
West Ham United

A composed and intelligent defender, Matthew Upson has grown in stature in recent years and his promise was shown throughout the past 12 months as he added six caps to his tally.

A half-time substitute in England's opening game of the year, Upson replaced Phil Jagielka in the match with Spain and would keep his place alongside John Terry in the following game against Slovakia.

Rio Ferdinand returned from injury to face Ukraine four days later, but Upson would start alongside John Terry in Kazakhstan in a thumping 4-0 win in Almaty.

Injury to Ferdinand gave Upson his chance in the match that would clinch qualification for the World Cup.

Starting in defence with John Terry against both Slovenia, and then Croatia, Upson played his part in the match that went some distance to redeeming the ghosts of England failing to qualify for Euro 2008.

With both Terry and Ferdinand absent for the final match of 2009, Upson partnered Joleon Lescott at the heart of England's defence against Brazil in Doha.

You can vote for Matthew Upson as your 'Nationwide England Player of the Year' on the poll on the right. You'll need a FAN, but you can sign up for a free one by clicking the FAN button at the top of the page and you'll then be able to take part in this and future polls and competitions...

If you vote for the eventual winner, you could win a signed England shirt and two tickets to see England against Egypt. Two lucky runners-up will also receive a pair of tickets to the World Cup warm-up on 3 March.

So get voting, and don't forget you can join the debate by becoming a Fan of England on Facebook.

Former winners of the award include Frank Lampard who won it in 2004 and 2005, Owen Hargreaves earned the prize for his performances in 2006, and Steven Gerrard completed a midfield clean sweep with the award in 2007. Wayne Rooney is the current holder having been voted Player of the Year for 2008.

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The full list of players who played during 2009 - click here