Where Are They Now? The Famous Liverpool Team That Lifted The UCL Trophy On That Magical Night In Istanbul
Liverpool announced their squad for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League 2017/18 earlier this week. After having been out of Europe’s premiere footballing competition for a year, the Reds were back among the European elites, courtesy of a battering of TSG Hoffenheim in the playoffs, following their fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season.
With Champions League football set to return to Anfield in over a week, we take you back to that historic night on May 25, 2005, when Liverpool, led by manager Rafael Benitez, produced a heroic comeback to defeat Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan on penalties to clinch the UEFA Champions League trophy, in Istanbul.
It was by far one of the most epic comebacks to have been witnessed in football and wrote itself in the folklore of Liverpool and European football. Ahead of their new Champions League campaign, we take a look at where the heroes of that exceptional side currently are.
Jerzy Dudek (GK)
The unlikeliest of the heroes at Istanbul, Dudek kept Andriy Shevchenko out twice, late in the game, before producing saves to deny Andrea Pirlo and Shevchenko again from the penalty spot. The Polish shot-stopper was moved to Real Madrid in 2007, where he spent four years. He played his last game in 2013, for the Poland national team, before becoming a racing driver, participating in the 24-hour endurance challenges.
Steve Finnan (RB)
He might not have had the most memorable contributions in Istanbul, having been subbed off at half-time only, Finnan is fondly remembered by the Kop due to his performances for the club between 2004 and 2008. Having lost his place to Alvaro Arbeloa, he moved to Espanyol and then returned back to England with Portsmouth.
He made his final appearance for the Pompey in 2010, in the FA Cup final against Chelsea. When a 10th anniversary reunion was planned, he was the only one who could not be tracked down, leading to the launch of a #FindSteveFinnan twitter campaign. Currently, he works as a property developer based in London.
Jamie Carragher (CB)
A Liverpool legend, who spent over 17 years with the club, Carragher hung up his boots in 2013 and quickly moved into television punditry with Sky Sports and has carved out a reputation for himself as one of the leading pundits on TV. Paired up alongside one-time bitter rival Gary Neville, the English duo is never really away from the spotlight, with constant banter and digs, alongside some good old analysis.
Sami Hyypia (CB)
A fan favourite and a former captain, Hyypia is fondly remembered by the supporters for the immense contributions he made for ten years at the club. He moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2009 and retired from professional football a couple of years later.
He has tried his hands in management with spells with Leverkusen, Brighton & Hove Albion and FC Zurich, but hasn’t had the best of times. Without a job at the moment, he recently stated, he will consider returning to Liverpool in some coaching capcity.
Djimi Traore (LB)
Mostly remembered for his comical own goal against Burnley, Traore lasted only for a year after the Istanbul triumph at Anfield. There were short spells in England with Charlton Athletic and Birmingham. The former Mali international also played at Monaco and Marseille, before spending two years with MLS outfit Seattle Sounders. He retired in 2014 and is currently the Sounders’ assistant coach.
Xabi Alonso (CM)
Winning the Champions League with Liverpool, in his debut season, was just a starting step in what turned out to be a glorious career for Xabi Alonso. He scored the third goal for Liverpool to set up the win and went on to become an incredible player, before earning a big move to Real Madrid in 2009.
Having won another Champions League trophy with the Galacticos, he also won three Bundesliga titles in the last three years with Bayern Munich, before hanging up his boots at the end of last season.
Luis Garcia (RM)
The Spaniard played an important role for Liverpool on the road to Istanbul, with the “ghost goal” against Chelsea in the semi-finals still a much-discussed moment even after all these years. He left Liverpool in 2007 and spent time in Spain, Greece, Mexico and India. He last played for Central Coast Mariners in the Australian A-League. He served as a pundit for beIN Sports during the Euro 2016 and keeps making fleeting appearances for the network.
Steven Gerrard (CM)
Another Liverpool legend, Gerrard was at the forefront of that magical night in Istanbul, scoring the first of the three equalisers and winning the penalty that led to the third strike, finishing as the man of the match. Inarguably Liverpool’s greatest player ever, the former England international made over 700 appearances, scoring 186 goals before enjoying a brief stint in the MLS with LA Galaxy, starting January 2015 until November last year, when he retired. He is currently operating as an academy coach with the club of his heart.
John Arne Riise (LM)
Best remembered for his famous left-footed fiercely driven shots at goal, the Norwegian did not have the best of the nights at Istanbul and even ended up missing his penalty. He left Anfield for AS Roma in 2008, but returned to England with Fulham in 2011.
A short stint in Cyprus was followed by involvement in the Indian Super League, with Delhi Dynamos FC and Chennaiyin FC, with a short spell with homeland side Aalesund sandwiched in between. The 36-year old last played for Norwegian side SK Rollon.
Harry Kewell / Vladimir Smicer (SS)
Having joined the Reds from Leeds United in 2003, Kewell’s time at Anfield was plagued by injuries – he was also taken off injured in Istanbul just 23 minutes into the game. He left the club in 2008 for Galatasaray and then enjoyed stints back in his homeland of Australia with Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart. After a short spell with Qatari side Al-Gharafa, he spent time in his junior academy as a coach and then had a tenure with the Watford U21 side. He is currently the manager of League Two side Crawley Town.
Smicer replaced the injured Kewell on the night and scored the second goal for the Reds and buried the final penalty to seal the triumph. He left the club soon after that night, after his contract ran out, and had stints with Bordeaux and Slavia Prague before retiring in 2009. Immediately after, he became the sports manager of the Czech Republic national team, working alongside Michal Bilek, before trying his hands in politics.
Milan Baros (ST)
Baros joined the Reds in 2002, but could never really go onto live up to his potential. The Czech Republic forward last donned the Red of Liverpool on that historic night against Milan, before moving to Aston Villa, Lyon, Galatasaray and a number of other Czech clubs and was last seen playing for Slovan Liberec in the 2016-17 season.