Wout Brama (Dutch pronunciation: [ʋʌud ˈbraːmaː]; born 21 August 1986) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Born in Almelo, Brama began his youth team at PH Almelo before moving to FC Twente in 1999. After progressing through the Twente youth system, in which he was captain for both the youth team and the reserve team, he signed his first professional contract with the club in March 2005. Later that year, he was promoted to the first team.
Brama made his debut in the Eredivisie in the 2005–06 season for FC Twente, which came on as a second–half substitute, in a 2–0 loss against Roda JC in the opening game of the season. Since making his FC Twente debut, Brama quickly established himself in the first team at a midfield position. Despite being sidelined for five matches, Brama finished his first season in the 2005–06 season, making 38 appearances in all competitions.
The 2006–07 season saw Fred Rutten appointed as a new manager. Under Rutten, Brama found himself out of the first team, with Orlando Engelaar, Karim El Ahmadi and Otman Bakkal preferred in the starting eleven at midfield instead and played in the reserve side. Nevertheless, he extended his contract until 2008. He made his European debut on 15 July 2006 in a UEFA Intertoto Cup match, playing 90 minutes, in a 1–0 loss against Kalmar; ultimately winning 3–1 in the second leg. Throughout the 2006–07 season, Brama found himself in and out of the first team to fight for his first team place. He went on to make a total of 23 appearances in all competitions at the end of the season.
In the 2007–08 season, Brama started the first two league matches against Excelsior and Utrecht, starting in the right–back position. However, he soon lost it to Niels Wellenberg. Brama spent most of the season, coming on from the substitute bench. It wasn't until on 16 February 2008 when he set up one of the goals, in a 2–1 win over Roda JC. Then, on 23 March 2008, he come on as a late substitute and set up a winning goal for Eljero Elia, in a 2–1 win over Ajax. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Brama went on to make a total of 30 appearances in all competitions.
After Rutten and El Ahmadi left the club in the summer of 2008, Steve McClaren was appointed as the new manager. Under McClaren, Brama soon received more playing time in the first team in the 2008–09 season. Brama then made his UEFA Champions League debut in the play–offs round on 13 August 2008, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 loss against Arsenal; and also played again in the second leg, which saw them lose 4–0 He then started in every match since the opening game of the season against Roda JC, until he suffered a thigh injury in early November. After returning from injury, Brama regained his first team place and then set up a goal for Blaise Nkufo, who later scored a hat–trick, in a 6–0 win over Heracles Almelo on 22 November 2008. His performance resulted him signing a contract extension, keeping him until 2012, in February 2009. Towards the end of the season, Brama helped the side reach the final of the KNVB Cup. However, he didn't play in the final, as Twente went on to lose 5–4 in the penalty–shootout after playing in a 2–2 draw throughout the game. Despite this, Brama went on to make 47 appearances in all competitions in the 2008–09 season.
In the 2009–10 season, Brama started the season well when he helped the side making a good start to the season, resulting them at the top of the table. His performance was praised by McClaren as a result. Brama started in every match since the start of the season until he missed one game against Vitesse on 21 November 2009, due to suspension. After missing one game, he scored on his return on 28 November 2009, in a 3–1 win over Willem II. Brama then started every match since returning until his sending off once again during a 0–0 draw against Utrecht on 17 January 2010. For that, he was suspended for one game. After being suspended once again, Brama continued to remain in the first team and helped the club win the league for the first time after beating NAC Breda 2–0 in the last game of the season. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Brama went on to make a total of 45 appearances and scoring once in all competitions. He also finished third place behind Douglas and Bryan Ruiz for the club's player of the year voted by supporters.
In the 2010–11 season, Brama continued to feature in the first team following an arrival of Manager Michel Preud'homme. He started the season when he started and helped the side win 1–0 win over Ajax in the Johan Cruyff Shield. Brama then set up a goal for Marc Janko, in a 3–0 win over Vitesse to give them their first league win of the season. He then started every match since the opening game of the season until he suffered a hamstring injury in late–October. After returning to the first team as a second–half substitute in a 2–1 win over Excelsior on 6 November 2010, Brama regained his first team place and this resulted in him signing a three–year contract extension in January 2011. Shortly after signing a new contract, Brama scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win over Feyenoord on 30 January 2011. He later scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 win over VVV-Venlo on 13 March 2011. Brama also scored a goal in the final of the KNVB Cup, in a 3–1 win over Ajax. After the match, Brama said of the game: "The previous final was a disappointment for me. Now I knew for sure that I would play. I did not think back about that final, but afterwards it's a nice revenge for me. Certainly that I also had a share in the victory." At the end of the 2010–11 season, Brama went on to make a total of 48 appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
In the 2011–12 season, Brama was linked with a move away from the club, as Fulham was keen on signing him, having signed his teammate, Bryan Ruiz. Despite the move never happened, he remained at the club and switched his position to defensive–midfield. He also became the club's vice-captain for the new season. Brama started the season well when he helped the club once again beat Ajax 2–1 in the Johan Cruyff Shield. It wasn't until on 15 October 2011 when he scored his first goal for the club, in a 4–0 win over RKC Waalwijk. Five days later, on 20 October 2011, Brama scored again in a UEFA Europa League match, in a 4–1 win over OB. He then set up two goals for Peter Wisgerhof and Ola John, in a 4–0 thrashing victory over De Graafschap on 6 November 2011. Throughout the January transfer window, Brama continued to be linked with a move away, with SV Werder Bremen interested but eventually stayed at the club. His appearance against Steaua București in the second leg of the second round of UEFA Europa League with a 1–0 win overtake the record of Kick van der Vall and Kees van Ierssel for the most appearance in European football. The following month, Brama was given a captaincy for the first time on 15 March 2012, in a 4–1 loss against Schalke 04 in second leg of the last 16 that saw them eliminated in the UEFA Europa League. Brama later captained the side on three occasions later in the season. Despite missing two matches in all competitions for the 2011–12 season, Brama went on to make a total of 50 appearances and scoring two times. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Brama hinted about his departure from the club to seek new challenges.
In the 2012–13 season, Brama was given a captaincy at the start of the season in absence of Wisgerhof, who, himself, acknowledged about Brama's captaincy. He began to found himself in a competition with newly signing Robbert Schilder at the start of the season. After suffering ankle injury in late–August, Brama continued to regain his first team place throughout the season, as well as, captain. However, from beginning of February, he was soon plagued with suspensions (twice) and injuries. After returning from suspensions and injury, Brama scored on his first appearance from the sidelines, in a 1–1 draw against NAC Breda. But his return was short–lived when he suffered a heel bone injury in training that ended his season. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Brama went on to make a total of 39 appearances and scoring once in all competitions.