Matthew Brooke Jansen (born 20 October 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Jansen was tipped to become one of English football brightest stars but his career was cruelly cut short following a motorcycle accident which almost cost him his life.

A highly regarded centre forward, he was named Blackburn Rovers’ Player of the Season three times and twice finished as the club’s leading scorer. His early performances drew interest from Juventus, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Manchester United.

He launched his career with hometown club Carlisle United but his goalscoring abilities earned him a move to Crystal Palace and the Premier League where he immediately hit the ground running.

His performances caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson but he opted for a move to Blackburn Rovers where he enjoyed seven glorious years including a goalscoring performance for Blackburn in their League Cup victory over Tottenham in 2002.

Sven Goran Eriksson was impressed and named him the England senior World Cup Squad for the 2002 World Cup before performing a U-turn on the final day of the season and opting instead to take an extra defender.

That decision sparked a chain of events which would change Jansen's life forever. Instead of playing in Japan and South Korea he flew to Rome for a holiday and was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him fighting for his life.

Jansen recovered but his sustained a head injury which changed him as a player. He tried a loan spell with Coventry City before moving to Bolton Wanderers on a free but never felt confident.