17 years ago, one of the most remarkable finals of all-time played out in Istanbul, as Liverpool produced a ‘magical night’ as they came from 3-0 down at half-time to claim victory on penalties in the 2005 Champions League final. With Liverpool falling to goals from Maldini inside the opening minute and a brace from Crespo just before the break, things looked done inside the first 45 minutes, however Liverpool netted 3 goals in only 6 minutes to level things. After the 30 minute extra-time period, penalties followed, and with AC Milan missing their opening 2 attempts, Liverpool took control. As Riise missed his sides’ 3rd, Milan had a glimmer of hope, until their 5th and final spot kick in which legendary striker Shevchenko missed from 12 yards and Liverpool had done the unthinkable and claimed their 5th European title.

The series will take specific teams or eras, and look at where the starting XI currently are in 2022. Are they still playing? Are they now managing? Are they a boring TV pundit? Some are still very much at the top of their game, even after 17 years, while others dropped off significantly after this infamous victory.

If you have a specific team you’d like to find out more about, or have any additional information regarding the players we are talking about in this piece, let us know on Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog). Also why not let us know who was your favourite player in this team and why.

Enjoy.

Goalkeeper

Jerzy Dudek – Undoubtedly Dudek’s highlight of his career as he performed heroics in the penalty shootout, the Polish shot stopper did all he could to distract and put off the opposition. Emulating legendary keeper Grobbelaar in the shootout, he became a cult hero in Liverpool for that night, and although he lost out his starting spot just the following year to Spanish keeper Pepe Reina, Dudek stuck around for 2 further seasons before departing for Real Madrid. At 34 and moving to the Spanish giants, he accepted a backup position behind the Madrid legend Casillas. Consequently, in his 4 years at the club he only managed 12 appearances before he hung up his gloves in 2011. A fan-loved player wherever he went, Dudek retired with cult status, even receiving a guard of honour on his departure from Real Madrid. Since retiring, Dudek has made several charity match appearances, was a key figure in securing the 2012 Euros for Poland-Ukraine, while in 2014 he completed his first season of a racing championship around Eastern Europe.

Defenders

Steve Finnan – The Irish right-back was brought off at half-time in the final, however in the following season he was ever-present as they broke their points record in the Premier League and won the 2016 FA Cup. He continued to be a key member of Liverpool’s side until 2008, where he was apparently offered as part of a move for Gareth Barry which never came to light. As a result of this and the arrival of Degen who could play right-back, Finnan made a move to Espanyol. Due to injuries and a lack of game time, he only spent 1 season in La Liga and managed just 5 appearances for the Spanish side, before returning to England with Portsmouth. He played one season for the South-coast side, culminating in the 2010 FA Cup final where Finnan made his final appearance before retiring from the game. Since this time, he has moved away from the game aside from charity match appearances, and according to sources online he began working in property development.

Jamie Carragher – One of the most recognisable players from the side, Carragher continued to play for Liverpool until 2013 when his career came to an end, spanning 17 years at the club, making 737 appearances and 4 goals. Jumping straight from his playing career to TV work, he has been a renowned pundit across the game ever since, creating a partnership with Gary Neville on Monday Night Football, whilst also working for overseas networks on Champions League coverage. Refusing opportunities to continue working within the game in a coaching capacity, Carragher is well respected for his TV work, and along with charity appearances, he remains a key feature of the sport.

Sami Hyypiä – Another player who gained legendary cult-status following this game, Hyypiä remained at Liverpool for the next 4 seasons, bringing his time in Merseyside to 10 years in total, making 464 appearances and netting 35 goals. In 2009, he made the move to Germany for Bayer Leverkusen, and despite rumours of a return to Liverpool, he stayed in Germany for the remainder of his playing career, spending 2 seasons in the Bundesliga before hanging up his boots and making his way into coaching. Making the move straight into coaching, he took up positions at Leverkusen and the Finland national team. He was appointed manager of the German side in 2012 where he managed for 2 seasons before being appointed manager of Brighton back in England. Despite signing for a 3 year deal, he only managed for 6 months and with results not going his way, he stepped aside. He has returned to management however with FC Zürich and then a short spell as assistant at FC Haka in his native Finland. Along with occasional punditry roles and various charity works, Hyypiä hasn’t returned to the game in any form for the last couple of years.

Djimi Traoré – Traoré spent just 1 further season at Liverpool following the Champions League win, and went on a journey in the second half of his career, spending time at Charlton, Portsmouth, Rennes, Birmingham, Monaco, Marseille and finishing his career at Seattle Sounders in the MLS. Retiring from playing at the end of the 2014 campaign, he took up a position as assistance coach at Seattle until August 2021.

Midfielders

Xabi Alonso – Another well-renowned name from this Liverpool side, Alonso went on to achieve plenty in the post-Istanbul period of his career. The Champions League winning campaign was his first season at Liverpool, and he continued to be a key player at the club for the following 4 years, before departing for Real Madrid in 2009 after reports of Barry’s arrival gave Alonso reason to depart. His time at Real Madrid was arguably even more impressive, as his 6 year spell saw him add another Champions League title, along with several domestic honours. In 2014 he made a move to Bayern Munich where he spent a further 3 seasons before retiring in 2017. Ending his illustrious career with just about every trophy and title possible in his cabinet, Alonso has gone down as one of the top midfielders of his generation and is well regarded to this day. Since retiring, he has taken up managerial and coaching positions at Real Madrid youth setups, and recently at Real Sociedad B.

Luis Garcia – Another player who was in their debut season at Liverpool, Garcia played on in England for 2 further seasons before undertaking a journeyman role with spells in Spain, Greece, Mexico, India and Australia under his belt before calling it a day in the 2015-2016 season. After finishing his playing career, he took up work as a pundit for the 2016 Euros campaign and has been working for ESPN as an analyst.

Steven Gerrard – Surely the most recognisable and renowned name on this list, Gerrard had a terrific spell at his boyhood side. Going on from the 2005 Champions League win, he continued at Liverpool for a further 10 years, adding a few domestic cups to his cabinet, however failed to get Liverpool to the Premier League title and also with their 2007 Champions League final loss. After departing Liverpool, many thought it would be the end of Gerrard’s playing career, however he made a move to LA Galaxy and became a focal point of their growth strategy for the sport. Spending 2 seasons in America, he retired from playing at the end of the 2016 campaign. From here, he went into coaching and management, refusing a chance to manage MK Dons to instead work at the Liverpool academy and build up his knowledge and experience of coaching. In April 2018 he was given a huge chance to take the reigns at Rangers, where he impressed hugely in his time in Scotland, helping them to the league title and preventing Celtic from their 10th straight title. In 2021, he made the move back to England, taking up the position in charge of Aston Villa, where he currently remains and has been building a strong side looking to cement their place in the top-flight and try to climb up the table. Away from playing and management, Gerrard has done several bits of pundit work, released his autobiography, starred in his own documentary and was awarded an MBE.

John Arne Riise – The Norwegian is a legend on Merseyside, who went on to play for the Reds until 2008, when he made the move away to Roma, where he spent a few years before coming back to England for Fulham. After 3 seasons in the capital, he went on a tour across Cyprus, India and Norway before retiring from playing in 2017. Since playing, he took up positions as a sporting director at a club in Malta, and coaching roles in Norway, including most recently as manager of Norwegian women’s side Avaldsnes IL. He has also made several TV appearances, including most recently at the Women’s Euros on the BBC.

Attackers

Harry Kewell – Although not always used as a striker, Australian Kewell was second-striker on the night, and has had an extensive career post-2005. Staying at Liverpool until 2008, he then moved to Galatasaray for 3 years, before returning to his home in Australia, with a brief sting in Qatar. He retired from playing in 2014 and since then has had a whole host of coaching positions. Managing clubs such as Crawley, Notts County, Oldham and Barnet, he has most recently taken up a role as a coach at Celtic under new manager Ange Postecoglou.

Milan Baroš – Baroš is the only player from the starting XI still playing in some form, as he currently plays for FK Vigantice at an amateur level. Only managing 2 appearances after the Champions League victory in the following season, he was snapped up by Aston Villa, where he spent a further 2 seasons before making the move to Lyon which had been rumoured previously. Having 3 seasons including a loan at Portsmouth, the Czech international moved to Galatasaray for 4 seasons before taking up positions at Turkey and the Czech leagues.