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Class of 2005: Where Are They Now?

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LFC European CupTHIS Saturday sees the Champions League final return to Wembley when Borussia Dortmund and rivals Bayern Munich will lock horns to see who will be crowned Champions of Europe.

The 25th May 2013 is significant for all us Liverpool fans as it will be eight years to the day since Rafa masterminded the greatest European final ever, when Stevie G and lads put their lives on the line and triumphed over the mighty AC Milan on penalties to win old big ears for the fifth time.

So in honour of this momentous event I thought I would find out what the 2005 winning team are up to now.

Jerzy Dudek

Dudek will go down in Anfield folklore after saving Andriy Shevchenko’s penalty which created the best night of my life in supporting the Reds.

Jerzy lost his place due to the arrival of current Reds number one goalkeeper Pepe Reina and moved to Spanish club Real Madrid, where he only played twice in four years in La Liga due to the consistency of Iker Casillas. However he won La Liga, the Copa Del Rey and the Supercopa De Espana during his time with the Spanish Club.

Due to his status in his native Poland, Jerzy played a crucial part in securing the European Championships for his country for 2012. He is now retired.

LFC Career: 186 Games

Steve Finnan

Steve started the final in Istanbul but was substituted at half-time due to a thigh injury. He also played in the Champions League final two years later against the same opponents AC Milan but sadly was on the losing side.

The arrival of defender Philipp Degen in 2008 saw Finnan leave Liverpool to join Espanyol in Spain linking up with former backroom staff member Paco Herrara who was Sporting Director.

Unfortunately he did not have the best of times in Spain and joined Portsmouth in 2009. He played 25 times for the south coast side before retiring.

Did You Know?

Finnan is the only player to date who has appeared in the Premiership, the three Football League divisions, the Conference, La Liga as well as in the FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Intertoto Cup Finals, the FA Community Shield, European Super Cup and finally the World Club Championship.

LFC Career: 217 Games Goals: 1

Jamie Carragher

One of the heroes of Istanbul, it’s hard to imagine that famous comeback occurring without him. One of the most iconic images from the club’s glorious night in Istanbul is that of him collapsing with cramp after yet another last-ditch interception. The ultimate one-club player, and with one of the biggest hearts in football, Jamie Carragher was Mr Liverpool during his Anfield career.

Since winning the Champions League in 2005 Jamie won the 2005 Super Cup, 2006 FA Cup, 2006 Community Shield and was a runner up in the 2007 Champions League Final and the 2012 FA Cup Final. His final medal as a LFC player was the 2012 Carling Cup win after beating Cardiff City on penalties.

Carragher finally hung up his boots after a staggering 737 appearance in a Red shirt last Sunday afternoon against QPR bringing his 26 year association with the Club to an end.

Jamie will become a Sky Sports pundit for the new football season.

LFC Career: 737 Games Goals: 5

Sami Hyypia

Hyypia scored one of the most memorable goals en route to Istanbul – an unstoppable volley to open the scoring against Juventus in the quarter-finals.

He and Jamie Carragher were one of the club’s best defensive partnerships in the 21st century.

The arrival of young centre-halves Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel provided competition for places as Hyypia entered his twilight but, despite sometimes missing out, he continued to climb the club’s all-time appearance table. In December 2008 he overtook Ron Yeats to enter the top 20.

Five months later the big Finn announced the 2008-09 campaign would be his last at Anfield after agreeing a two-year deal with German side Bayer Leverkusen as a player/coach

He came on as a late substitute wearing the captain’s armband during the season finale against Spurs for his 464th and last appearance. Earlier a ‘Sami’ mosaic was held aloft by the Kop, and at the final whistle the no.4 broke down in tears.

Did you Know?

He played every minute of 57 consecutive European games for the Reds from November 2001 to February 2006.

When Sami retired from football at the end of the 2011/2012 season he was confirmed as the permanent Head Coach of Leverkusen after being in charge for the remaining 6 games of the campaign. Sami brought his team over to play the Reds in a pre-season friendly at the start of the 2012/2013 season which we won 3-1. They finished 3rd in Bundesliga for 2012/2013.

LFC Career: 464 Games Goals: 35
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Djimi Traore

He will be forever remembered as a member of the European Cup-winning team in Istanbul, and it was a fantastic way to end the season for the Frenchman after his rather unfortunate FA Cup own goal at Burnley.

Djimi left Liverpool in 2006 and joined Charlton Athletic but the spell was short lived and was sold to Portsmouth but made only 10 league appearances between his debut in January, 2007 and the end of the season. After figuring in only 3 league matches the following season, Djimi moved to Rennes on loan. Rennes were unable to make the deal permanent so he was loaned out to Championship club Birmingham City in February 2009.

Although Birmingham were promoted back to the Premier League at the end of the 2008-09 season, Djimi only appeared on only 3 occasions for the first team at St. Andrews. In June 2009 Traore signed for Monaco, whose manager Guy Lacombe had been in charge at Rennes when Djimi had a loan spell there in 2008. Again he was on the move this time with French club Marseille.

Djimi now plays for MLS side Seattle Sounders and scored a spectacular goal during a CONCACAF Champions League against Tigres.

LFC Career: 141 Games Goals: 1

John Arne Riise

Riise provided the cross for Steven Gerrard on 54 minutes to help trigger the greatest comeback European Football has ever witnessed. His penalty was saved by Dida in the shoot-out. The following season was again full of highlights, most notably another opening goal against Chelsea – this time in an FA Cup semi-final.

Three weeks later he erased memories of the Istanbul penalty miss by converting his spot kick to help the Reds clinch their seventh FA Cup.

After seven seasons with the Anfield club he joined AS Roma where he played 99 times scoring 7 goals. After three years in Italy he came back to England and signed for Fulham to link up with his brother Bjorn Helge. To date he has played 67 times for Martin Jol’s side.

He will be remembered for scoring ‘that’ goal against Manchester United while wearing the Red of Liverpool.

LFC Career: 348 Games Goals: 31

Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso played a vital role in our win against AC Milan by scoring the important equaliser from the rebound after his penalty was saved by keeper Dida.

Xabi was a key player during his time with Liverpool scoring those unbelievable goals from over the half-way line against Luton and Newcastle United. He played in another Champions League final in 2007. Alonso was part of the team who so nearly won the league title in 2009. Sadly Xabi left LFC at the end of that season to join Real Madrid.

During his time with the Spanish giants he has played a pivotal role in the team winning La Liga in 2011/2012, the Copa De Rey and the Supercopa De Espana.

LFC Career: 210 Games Goals: 19

Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard is the only remaining player from the 2005 team that is still playing for Liverpool. Having already brought Liverpool back from the brink earlier in the campaign with a superlative strike against Olympiacos, his headed goal made the impossible happen in Istanbul.

His heroics earned him the title of UEFA’s Most Valuable Player, as well as a nomination for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. He would come third in the latter, behind Ronaldinho and countryman Frank Lampard. Of course there was the ‘Gerrard’ Final in 2006 when the Reds won the FA Cup again in spectacular fashion.

Gerrard – who’s played in just about every position for Liverpool – had now scored in four major finals, something no English-based player had ever done. In December 2006 the Kop idol was awarded an MBE, which he later collected from the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

As if all this wasn’t enough, the season ended with another European Cup final, and again it was AC Milan. This time, however, the night ended in heartbreak following a 2-1 loss.

Now a bona fide legend of the British game, the midfielder made it a century of club goals with a powerful free-kick against PSV in October 2008. In doing so, he joined an elite band of 16 Anfield legends to achieve the feat.

The strike was one of 24 for Gerrard during 2008-09, a personal record which earned him Football Writers’ Player of the Year for the first time. Sadly, his haul wasn’t enough to secure an elusive Premier League winners’ medal, though Liverpool mounted their best challenge since 1990 before United crossed the line on the penultimate weekend.

Injuries meant Gerrard was often helpless to aid the club on the pitch during 2010-11 as the Hodgson revolution went awry, though his ability to turn in Roy of the Rovers performances was still evident with a brace at Old Trafford and a second-half hat-trick against Napoli after he was initially rested.

Still, the team entered 2011 in a worrying state – and new owners John Henry and Tom Werner decided to install the only man with a claim against Gerrard for the title of Liverpool’s greatest ever player: Kenny Dalglish.

Despite more injury set-backs, the No.8 would ensure there were some happy memories during The King’s 16-month tenure. In February 2012 he led Liverpool onto the Wembley turf for the first time, and though he missed a penalty in the shoot-out against Cardiff City, it was the Reds who prevailed and Gerrard who climbed the Wembley steps to lift the Carling Cup.

Then, just a few weeks later, he did something which, even without any of the above, would have made him a legend in the minds of Liverpool fans – he scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Everton at Anfield, a feat that hadn’t been achieved since 1935.

This season Gerrard put his injury worries behind him and played in 36 league games scoring 7 goals in Brendan Rodgers debut campaign, notably against Manchester City – this was Stevie G at his best.

LFC Career: 630 Games Goals: 159

Harry Kewell

He was a shock starter in the Champions League final against AC Milan in Istanbul, though injury meant he was replaced by Vladimir Smicer after just 23 minutes. His time on Merseyside was hampered with injury and left Liverpool in 2008 to join Galatasaray. During a three year stay in Turkey he won the Turkish Super Cup. He played 63 games scoring 22 goals.

He joined Australian side Melbourne Victory for one season in 2011 before playing for Al Gharafa in the Qatar Stars League only playing three games for them before his contract expired. He is currently a free agent.

LFC Career: 139 Games Goals: 16

Milan Baros

Baros scored during the run in to the final in Istanbul. Milan left LFC in August in 2005 joining Aston Villa. After spending 18 months with the club he teamed up with Gerard Houllier at Lyon and won Ligue 1 and Trophee Des Champions. He was loaned out to Portsmouth in 2008 after Alain Perrin replaced Houllier.

Baros helped Portsmouth reach the FA Cup final and he received a winners’ medal after coming on as a substitute for Kanu with three minutes remaining of the Wembley final against Cardiff City. However he hadn’t impressed Harry Redknapp to sign him permanently and he returned to Lyon after failing to score in 16 appearances for Pompey.

Baros joined Harry Kewell at Turkish giants Galatasaray in the summer of 2008. He enjoyed a very successful first season in Turkey, scoring 26 goals from 43 first-team appearances in all competitions. This was the highest total of goals he had scored in a single season since becoming a professional footballer in his homeland with Banik Ostrava in 1998.

During his time in Turkey he won the Super Lig in 2011/2012 and the Super Kupa in 2012. He left Galatasaray by mutual consent in February of this year and returned back home to Banik Ostrava.

LFC Career: 108 Games Goals: 27

Luis Garcia

Garcia became quite a hit in his first year in English football and he netted five goals in the run-up to the Champions League final in Istanbul. Two of them will be forever etched in Anfield memory banks. A sensational strike against Juventus at Anfield had everyone believing this could be our year and the one against Chelsea in the semi-final was priceless. Luis Garcia’s role during the passage to the Istanbul ensured he will always be remembered with affection in the history of the club.

Luis continued scoring vital goals for the Reds until his season and ultimately his career with Liverpool was cut short due to injury. He joined former club Atletico Madrid wearing the number 9 jersey. After a short stay with them he moved to Racing De Santander playing only 15 times.

Luis then tried his luck in Greece and joined Panathinaikos for one season, then joined Mexican team Puebla FC where he scored 13 goals in 33 games. Last year he was on the move again this time to fellow Mexican side Club Universidad National. To date he has played 21 games scoring twice.

He will be fondly remembered wearing the Red of Liverpool, our ray of Spanish sunshine.

LFC Career: 121 Games Goals: 30

Vladimir Smicer

Vladimir Smicer left Liverpool for Bordeaux in the summer of 2005 just weeks after signing off in style by playing a crucial role in the Champions League win over AC Milan.

Coming on as a substitute for Harry Kewell, Smicer scored the Reds’ second goal in the memorable comeback and also scored Liverpool’s deciding penalty in the vital penalty shoot-out before Jerzy Dudek’s save from Shevchenko. It was a sweet reward for Smicer who returned to action in February 2005 after missing most of the 2004-05 season due to injury.

He only played 28 times in France due to injuries. Smicer rejoined Slavia Prague and again his progress was hampered by long term injury problems. He retired from football in 2009.

Smicer is now Sports Manager for the Czech National Team alongside Coach Michal Bilek.

LFC Career: 184 Games Goals: 19

Djibril Cisse

The speedy striker had awful luck on signing for the Reds when he broke his leg during a match at Blackburn on October 30th 2004. He then made an amazing recovery and was back in the nick of time to score a vital penalty in the Champions League shoot-out win over AC Milan.

He joined Marseille initially on loan for the 2006/2007 season and made the move permanent in 2007. He played 37 games for the French side before going to Sunderland on loan in 2008, scoring 10 goals before joining Panathinaikos in 2009 where he won the League Title and Greek Cup. He was then on the move this time to Lazio and after a short spell joined QPR.

His time in London was difficult as he was sent off twice in his first five games he scored 6 goals for QPR before joining Al Gharafa on loan until the end of the 2012/2013.

LFC Career: 79 Games Goals: 24

Didi Hamann

Didi played a major part in the final in Istanbul; he was suffering from a broken toe when he entered the fray at half-time replacing the injured Steve Finnan. Hamann also showed a great amount of composure and bravery, as he took and converted the first LFC penalty with his broken foot.

This was not the only key part he played in their Champions league success. Earlier in the tournament Hamann had been forced to stand in for Liverpool’s key player Steven Gerrard in the first leg of the last 16 round against Bayer Leverkusen. He excelled in the match and scored a late free-kick as Liverpool won the match 3–1.

He won the FA Cup with the Reds before leaving after signing a contract with Bolton. He changed his mind, but it was too late to cancel his transfer to Bolton. He was involved in one of most bizarre transfers ever as he was registered as a player at Bolton only to be transferred to Man City 24 hours later. He stayed with the Manchester club for three years before being released.

Now retired he is frequently a Sky Sports pundit covering their Champions League matches.

LFC Career: 283 Games Goals: 11

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I am a lifelong Liverpool supporter from Huyton Liverpool just like Stevie G and go all over the world supporting my team I go the games in my wheelchair as I suffer from Cerebral Palsy however that does not stop me having a ball cheering on the World’s Best Team.
I write a weekly column talking about various topics whether that is tactical analysis of matches, opinion pieces, looking through the archives of previous matches, former players and current articles on Brendan and the first team.
It is great being part of the first class writing team at Live4liverpool.com and bucking the trend in being the first woman to write for the site.
Follow me on Twitter @MRSSG to keep up to date with my articles. Y.N.W.A

1 comment

  • Uche says:

    Hmmmmm i lov dis article, bt wat i lov most is d mind n soul stvn gerrard hv kept wit lfc, i belv. Som day he will won d premier league, as i beliv dat is his heart dsire, lov u stevn, n lfc 4ever.

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