Wes Harding

Early career

Harding joined Birmingham City's Academy from Aston Villa at the age of 16 and took up a scholarship with the club in July 2013. Interviewed soon afterwards, the player assessed his strengths as speed and heading, and felt he needed to improve his technical ability. He was a member of the Birmingham team that eliminated Liverpool's youngsters from the 2014–15 FA Youth Cup, going on to lose in the quarter-finals to Leicester City's youngsters. He was a regular in the development squad over the season, and scored the opening goal for the team that won the 2015 Birmingham Senior Cup final. Harding signed his first professional contract, of two years, in May 2015. At the time, academy coach Steve Spooner summarised him as "a 24/7 professional footballer ... strong, aggressive, tenacious and much improved with the ball". Harding was included in the first team's pre-season training camp in Spain. During the 2015–16 season, he was used at right back as well as his preferred centre-half position, and he was a member of the Birmingham reserve team that lost the 2016 Birmingham Senior Cup final to National League North champions Solihull Moors. He was one of three youngsters – the others were Dom Bernard and Josh Dacres-Cogley – who began their 2016 pre-season training with the first team. On 9 August, Harding joined National League North club Alfreton Town on a month's youth loan. He went straight into the starting eleven for the following day's match against…

In March 2021 he was one of six English-born players to receive their first call-up to the Jamaica national team. He made his international debut on 7 June 2021, in a 1–1 friendly draw with Serbia in Miki, Hyōgo, Japan.

Club

As of match played 22 September 2026

International

As of 30 June 2024

Harding was born in Leicester and attended Beauchamp College, in Oadby, Leicestershire. He represented Leicestershire and Rutland at athletics. Harding is a Christian.