The 'Jesus' of the West Midlands has led the Baggies to the Promised Land of the Premier League - again
As a promising teenager breaking into the York City team and helping them avoid relegation , Jonathan Greening was snapped up from York City in March 1998 by Sir Alex Ferguson for £1 million.
Within 15 months he was on the bench in a Champions League final, but he admitted to feeling fraudulent claiming a winners medal for a campaign during which he had had little input. This was the era of Giggs, Keane, Scholes, Beckham and Butt in their pomp, and Greening found it hard to break into the team.
After spending three seasons on the fringes of the first XI at Old Trafford, he joined up with former United No.2 Steve McClaren at Middlesbrough for a £2m transfer fee. At the Riverside he established himself as a solid Premiership performer, with a pleasing amount of touch, vision and awareness combined with a willingness to work hard and do the grubby stuff. He was voted the clubs Player Of The Year in 2003 and was called up to the England squad but did not gain a cap to add to his U21 appearances.
When he again found himself drifting out of the first-team picture, he joined newly-promoted West Brom in summer 2004. He began his Baggies career on the left flank, but has since been transplanted by Tony Mowbray into a more influential central midfield role and was handed the captaincy ahead of the 2007-08 season. His hair has lengthened and the face-fuzz can tend toward the unruly at times, but as long as he keeps playing well he can look how he chooses to the Baggies fans who call him 'Jesus'.