WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Liverpool’s 2005 Champion League-winning team

Liverpool came from 3-0 down to win the 2005 Champions League final. Getty/Mike Hewitt The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final is one of the best in the tournament’s history. Liverpool came from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan in Istanbul.

Below, Insider looks at where the players from that iconic night are now.   The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final is one of the best in the tournament’s history. It was a showdown between two of the most storied clubs in world soccer, Liverpool FC and AC Milan, in Istanbul.

Milan looked set for a comfortable victory, going up 3-0 by halftime.  But Liverpool had an extraordinary six minutes of soccer in the second half in which it scored three goals to tie the match.  The score would remain level all the way through extra time, culminating in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, which also came down to the wire, with Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek saving a penalty from Andriy Shevchenko to secure for Liverpool a 3-2 win in the shoot-out.

 Liverpool, which won the tournament again in 2019, is in Champions League action again on Tuesday when it takes on Rangers in the third of its six Group A matches. Ahead of the tie, Insider looks at where the players from that iconic Istanbul night are now.  Goalkeeper – Jerzy DudekShaun Botterill/Getty ImagesThe hero on the night in Istanbul, Dudek spent two more seasons at Liverpool before joining Real Madrid, where he retired in 2011.

He currently works as a UEFA ambassador traveling around Europe to promote the Champions League and the European Championships, according to Premier League Heroes. Defender – Steve FinnanGetty/Ed GarveyIrishman Finnan moved to Espanyol in 2008, but only spent one season in Spain before returning to England to play for Portsmouth. He retired after just one season with Pompey before entering into the property development business with his brother.

Defender – Jamie CarragherJamie McDonald/Getty ImagesA Liverpool legend, Carragher came up through the club’s academy and spent his entire career at Anfield before retiring in 2013. Now, he’s one of the best known pundits in world soccer, working for Sky Sports. Defender – Sami HyypiäLaurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesLiverpool’s official website calls Hyypiä “one of the finest centre-backs ever to wear a red shirt.

“After retiring in 2011, he moved into management. He’s been the head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, Brighton & Hove Albion, and FC Zurich, but is currently without a club.  Defender – Djimi TraoréRoss Kinnaird/Getty ImagesSadly for Traoré, he’s best remembered by Liverpool fans for scoring one of the most comical own-goals in the club’s history rather than being part of the 2005 Champions League winning team.

He went on to bounce around different clubs in Europe after leaving Anfield in 2006 before settling in MLS with the Seattle Sounders at the end of his career, where he remained an assistant coach until last year.   Midfielder – Xabi AlonsoShaun Botterill/ Getty ImagesAlonso, who scored the tying goal for Liverpool in Istanbul, spent four more years on Merseyside before moving to Real Madrid and later Bayern Munich. He hung up his boots in 2017 to pursue a career in management.

He was most recently the head coach of Spanish team Real Sociedad B. Midfielder – Steven GerrardShaun Botterill/Getty ImagesGerrard is widely regarded as Liverpool’s greatest ever player. A product of the club’s academy, he made his Reds debut in 1998 and played his final match for the club in 2015.

After spending one season in MLS with LA Galaxy, he retired to become a manager.  The Englishman is now the head coach of Premier League team Aston Villa.  Midfielder – Luis GarciaLaurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesAfter leaving Liverpool in 2007, Garcia became a journeyman, playing for clubs in Spain, Greece, Mexico, India, and Australia.

He retired in 2016 and is now a soccer analyst for ESPN.  Midfielder – John Arne RiiseClive Brunskill/Getty ImagesBest known for his rocket of a left boot, Riise, like Garcia, became a journeyman after his Liverpool career came to an end in 2008. He played in Italy, Greece, India, and Norway before calling time on his playing career in 2016.

He is currently the manager of Avaldsnes – a women’s team in the top division of Norwegian soccer. Forward – Harry KewellAlex Livesey/Getty ImagesKewell started the 2005 Champions League final but sadly had to come off in just the 23rd minute with an injury. After leaving Liverpool in 2008, he went on to play in Turkey, Australia, and Qatar before retiring in 2014.

He’s now a first-team coach for Celtic.  Forward – Milan BarošGetty/Laurence GriffithsBaroš left Liverpool shortly after its Champions League triumph to join Aston Villa. Now 40, he still plays soccer for Czech amateur club FK Vigantice.

Substitute – Vladimír ŠmicerGetty/Mike HewittHarry Kewell’s replacement in Istanbul, Šmicer scored one of Liverpool’s three goals during the match and scored his penalty in the shoot-out. His Liverpool career was followed by brief spells in France and Czech Republic before he retired in 2009. After a try at coaching, Šmicer had a brief and unsuccessful career as politician.

Substitute – Dietmar HamannLaurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesHamann last played for Milton Keynes Dons as a player-coach 2011. He had further brief managerial stints afterwards, and is now a television pundit.  Substitute – Djibril CisséMichael Steele/Getty ImagesA great talent whose Liverpool career was hampered by two leg breaks, one in 2004 and one in 2006, Cissé left Anfield at the end of the 2005/06 season.

He dotted from club-to-club and country-to-country before retiring in 2018. The Frenchman is now a DJ who performs at several high profile venues across Europe.  Manager – Rafael BenitezBen Radford/Getty ImagesBenitez continued to manage Liverpool until 2010, after which he went on to manage Inter Milan, Chelsea, Napoli, and Real Madrid.

He was most recently the manager of Liverpool’s great rival, Everton.  Read the original article on Insider.