Barcelona's 2005-06 Champions League Winning Squad: Where Are They Now?

17th May 2006: Stade de France, Saint Denis, France

Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal

This was the first time since 1992 that Barcelona were crowned kings of Europe and their first of the 21st century. After going 1-0 down in the first half, the Blaugrana fought back and created a 2-1 comeback to win the Champions League for the second time in their history.

1) Victor Valdes (#1)

Valdes is often regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Barcelona history and one of Spain's best ones as well, due to his remarkable saves and skills. Valdes was chosen as the main goalkeeper by manager, Frank Rijkaard and started and played the full 90 minutes in Saint Denis. Valdes would spend another 8 years at Barcelona, becoming even more of a club legend. He would win 4 La Liga titles, 2 Copa Del Rays, 4 Supercopa de Espanas, 2 more Champions League titles, 2 UEFA Super Cups and 2 Club World Cups. He officially said goodbye to Catalonia in 2014 and in 2015, Valdes moved to England to play for Manchester United. His time in Manchester wasn't good, as he only made 2 league appearances for the team, and was loaned out in January 2016 to Belgian side, Standard Liege. In his time there, Valdes made 5 appearances in domestic terms and won the 2016 Belgian Cup. He then permanently left United in the summer of 2016 and joined fellow Premier League side, Middlesbrough. He made a whopping 28 appearances for them in the Premier League for the 2016-17 season. After Middlesbrough's relegation, he retired initially in 2017 before officially announcing it in 2018. During his international career, Valdes was seen as a substitute goalkeeper due to Iker Casillas's presence. Despite this, he won the 2010 World Cup and 2012 UEFA Euro with the team. He made an appearance in the 2013 Confederations Cup, appearing in Spain's 3-0 win over Nigeria. He then left the national team in 2014. In 2019, Valdes returned to Barcelona to work as their youth manager, but his time with them was short. His most recent managerial job was with UA Horta in Spain's fourth division. He left in 2021 to focus on Joan Laporta's Barcelona presidential campaign. He doesn't currently manage anyone.

2) Juliano Belliti (#2)

The Brazilian right back was crucial for Barcelona in the final in Paris as his scored the winning goal for the Catalonian side. That goal would turn out to be his first and only goal for Barcelona. He spent one more season with Barcelona before moving to England to play for Chelsea. He spent three seasons in London and made 94 appearances in total while scoring 5 times. Belliti enjoyed great success with Chelsea, winning 1 Premier League, 2 FA Cups and 1 Community Shield. As well as this, Belliti made a Champions League final with the Blues in 2008, falling short to Manchester United. In July 2010, Belliti returned to Brazil to play for Fluminense, where he won the 2010 Brazilian Serie A. He then retired from football in 2011. For Brazil, his only goal came in the 2001 Copa America group stage game against Paraguay. Belliti also was part of Brazil's 2002 World Cup winning squad in South Korea/Japan but made only one appearance in the whole competition. Belliti had his first managerial job in 2021 where he was assistant manager for Cruzeiro. He then managed Sao Paulo's U20 team between 2022 and 2023. He then returned to Barcelona to manage their U19 team, which is where he currently works.

3) Thiago Motta (#3)

Motta was an unused substitute for the final in Paris, due to the fact that he was very injury-prone. He spent another season with the Catalonian side, before making a move to Atletico Madrid, but once again, injuries got the better of him as he only made 8 appearances in all competitions. After a season full of injuries, Motta made a move to Italy to play for Genoa. He started the get back in form, making 27 appearances while scoring 6 times. His performances attracted Inter Milan who signed him in 2009, and was part of their historic treble winning season, including the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League. In his second season in Milan, Motta won the Club World Cup, Supercoppa Italiana and another Coppa Italia. He then left Inter midway through the 2011-12 season and joined Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint Germain, where he made 232 appearances for the Parisians and enjoyed domestic success by winning, 5 Ligue 1 titles, 4 Coupe de Frances, 4 Coupe de la Ligues and 5 Trophee des Champions. He then retired in 2018, after another Ligue 1 success. Motta played for Brazil in 2003, but in 2011, he changed his national team to Italy due to his Italian citizenship. Motta made the 2012 UEFA EURO final with Italy, falling short to Spain 4-0. He then appeared for Italy in the 2014 World Cup and 2016 European Championship, before leaving the team in 2016. After his retirement, Motta instantly returned to PSG, to manage their U19 team in 2018 but left in October 2019 upon his announcement as Genoa head coach. He was immediately sacked in December of that year after a poor run of performances. In July 2021, Motta was hired by Spezia and started to make the most of his signing and won Serie A manager of the month in January 2022 as well as saving them from relegation. He left by mutual agreement at the end of the 2021-22 season. In September 2022, he was signed by Bologna and that is where he currently manages.

4) Rafael Marquez (#4)

Marquez currently holds a very proud record in the Champions League. He is by far the only Mexican to ever win the Champions League. He was also the first Mexican to play in a final, playing the full 90 minutes in Paris. Marquez then spent another four seasons at Barcelona, winning 2 La Ligas, 1 Copa del Ray, 1 Supercopa de Espana, 1 Super Cup, 1 Club World Cup and another Champions League title in 2009. He then left Barcelona in 2010 and joined MLS side, New York Red Bulls where he helped them top the table in the 2010 Eastern Conference. He then left the club in 2012 and returned to Mexico to play for Leon, where he won 2 Liga MX titles between 2013 and 2014. After his second league success, he returned to Europe to play for Hellas Verona in Italy. However, he left one year and in 2016, re returned to Mexico to play for his boyhood club, Atlas. He then officially retired in 2018. With Mexico, Marquez holds another proud record, being one of four players to appear in 5 different World Cups for Mexico between 2002 and 2018. As well as this he enjoyed North American success by winning 2 CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2003 and 2011 and a CONCACAF Cup in 2015. He also enjoyed success in the FIFA Confederations Cup back in 1999. In his managerial career, Marquez has managed the youth team of RSD Alcala, a team in Spain's fifth division back in 2021. He then returned to Barcelona in 2022 to manage their youth academy. He still manages them.

5) Carles Puyol (#5)

Puyol can be often classified as one of the most loyal footballers there is and is one of the most respectable ones as well. Puyol started the final in Paris and was the captain for the Blaugrana as he was the first one to lift the trophy. Puyol would prove his loyalty towards Barcelona as he would stay with the club for eight more years, serving all of them as captain. His honors would include 4 La Liga titles, 2 Copa Del Rays, 2 Supercopas, 2 Club World Cups, 1 Super Cup and 2 more Champions League titles won in 2009 and 2011. After many successful years with Barcelona, Puyol decided to retire at the end of the 2013-14 season. This made Puyol one of many few players to stay at the same club for a whole career. For Spain, Puyol was always seen as one of Spain's greatest ever defenders and his international career was loaded with success. His two most major honors with the team includes the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In 2000, Puyol was a silver-medalist in the Brisbane Olympics with Spain's U23 team. Shortly after wrapping up a historical career with Barcelona, he was immediately appointed as their assistant director of football to former Spanish and Barcelona goalkeeping great, Andoni Zubizaretta. However, once Andoni was fired, Puyol resigned from the job. Back in 2019, Puyol was offered a job to become their new sporting director, but he rejected the offer.

6) Xavi (#6)

Xavi is one of Barcelona's greatest ever players and midfielders, due to his amazing playstyle and leadership. However, despite achieving great success in later years, in 2006, Xavi was still an unused substitute for Barcelona in the Parisian final. Despite this, Xavi would spend the next nine years at Barcelona, conquering Europe three times more while enjoying domestic success. He made his final appearance in the 2015 Champions League final in Barcelona's 3-1 win over Juventus of Italy. After his fourth European Cup success, Xavi left Barcelona and joined Qatari side, Al Sadd and for the course of the next four years, he would enjoy domestic success with them, winning everything there is to win in Qatar. In May 2019, Xavi announced his retirement from football after Al Sadd's final AFC Champions League group game. Xavi also was an instrumental player for Spain in their successful EURO-World Cup victories between 2008 and 2012, winning the player of the tournament in EURO 2008, while being the heartbeat of Spain's midfield over the course of his international career. He has participated for Spain in 4 World Cups and 3 European Championships. As well as this, he had quite a youth career with Spain's team, winning the 1999 World Youth Championship and winning silver in the 2000 Brisbane Olympics. Shortly after his retirement in 2019, Xavi signed a two year contract with Al Sadd as their manager, winning them seven major honors, all of which were local titles. In November 2021, Xavi returned to Barcelona to be the first team coach. After a trophy-less first season with Barcelona, Xavi helped them Catalonian side win the 2023 Supercopa de Espana followed by the 2022-23 La Liga title, his first as a coach. To this day, he still manages Barcelona.

7) Henrik Larsson (#7)

Larsson is a major player in European football, as he currently holds the record for top-goalscorer in the Europa League. He started the final in Paris for the Blaugrana and helped assist both goals that won the match for the Spaniards. Larsson. He then left Barca in the summer and returned to Sweden to play for his former club, Helsingborgs, although he did spend a brief loan spell with Manchester United, for the remainder of the 2006-07 season, winning the Premier League that same season. Upon returning to Sweden, he played for Helsingborgs for the rest of his career before retiring in 2009. He came back in 2012 to play for Raa IF and boyhood club, Hogaborgs in 2013 before retiring again. Larsson is one of Sweden's most iconic forwards, being their fourth highest goal-scorer only behind Gunnar Nordhal, Sven Rydell and the legendary, Zlatan Ibrahimović. Larsson has appeared for Sweden in 3 World Cups and 3 European Championships. being a former captain and winning bronze in the 1994 World Cup.

8) Ludovic Giuly (#8)

Giuly started the final in Paris and played the full ninety minutes. He also originally had his name on the scoresheet but the goal was ruled off for a foul by Arsenal's goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann, resulting him to be the first player to be sent off in a Champions League final. He then spent another season with the Catalans before making a move to Italy to play for Roma. A month into his stay in the capital, he won his first trophy, which was the Supercoppa Italiana followed up by the Coppa Italia in 2008. After one season with Roma, Giuly left the Italian side and joined Paris Saint-Germain for three seasons before returning for Monaco in 2011. He left one year later and joined another French team, this time Lorient for a year. Soon after in 2013, Giuly joined Monts D'or Azergues in the lower leagues of France for three years before retiring in 2016. Giuly has appeared for France between 2000 and 2005, winning the 2003 Confederations Cup, and making 17 appearances. In 2019, Giuly was hired as the Monaco B assistant coach before leaving in 2020. He returned to Lyon in 2022 as their assistant manager and that is where he currently manages.

9) Samuel Eto'o (#9)

Eto'o has had a very decorative career and is the third highest African goalscorer in the Champions League. He started the final in Paris and played the full 90 minutes while scoring the first goal for Barcelona. He then spent another three years with Barcelona, and his time in Catalonia was loaded with trophies. He won 1 La Liga, 1 Copa Del Ray and another Champions League final, scoring the first goal for Barcelona again. The Cameroonian then decided to leave Barcelona after Champions League success and join Italian giants, Inter Milan. His first season included a historic quadruple as well as his third Champions League title. After the 2010-11 season, Eto'o left Milan and joined Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala before spending spells with Chelsea, Everton and Sampdoria. He then spent a few years with Antalyaspor and Konyaspor in Turkey followed by a spell with Qatari side, Qatar SC. He then announced his retirement in 2019. Eto'o holds very proud records while being in a Cameroon jersey. He is the highest goal-scorer in the history of the Cameroonian team and is the highest goalscorer at the African Cup on Nations. He has also appeared for Cameroon in six AFCON tournaments, winning twice in 2000 and 2002 before finishing a runner-up in 2008. In the World Cup, Eto'o was the youngest appearance maker in the 1998 World Cup at the age of 17. He then appeared for Cameroon at the 2002 and 2010 finals. He had scored a whopping 56 goals while making 118 appearances for the national team. He also won gold at the 2000 Olympics in Brisbane while finishing a runner-up in the 2003 Confederations Cup. In December 2021, Eto'o was elected president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, which is where he currently works.

10) Ronaldinho (#10)

Ronaldinho can often be regarded as one of the most skillful players to ever grace the game. He started the match in Paris and played the full 90 minutes. He then stayed another two seasons with Barcelona before poor life adaptations lead him to be removed from Barcelona's squads. He then accepted a transfer to AC Milan in 2008, where he enjoyed winning Serie A in 2011. Ronaldinho then agreed a transfer to return to Brazil and play for Brazilian giants, Flamengo before leaving in 2012, joining Atletico Mineiro, winning the Copa Libertedoras in 2013, making him one of very few players to win both the Champions League and Copa Libertedoras. before retiring with Fluminense in 2015. Ronaldinho has enjoyed great success with Brazil as well, winning the World Cup in 2002 as part of the deadly attacking trio of him and other Brazilian legends, Ronaldo and Rivaldo. He then won the 2005 Confederations Cup before winning bronze with the Brazilian Olympic Team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He doesn't have any managerial experience and doesn't currently manage anyone.

11) Giovanni van Bronckhorst (#12)

Van Bronckhorst started the match in Paris and played the full 90 minutes. He then stayed another year with Barcelona before returning to Netherlands to play for Feyenoord. He won the KNVB Cup in the 2007-08 season, which was his only honor in his second spell with the Dutch giants. He then retired in 2010. For the Dutch team, van Bronckhorst is a true icon, captaining the side to the World Cup final in 2010, while scoring an incredible goal in the semi finals against Uruguay. His last appearance for the Dutch team was the World Cup final in which the Dutch lost 1-0 to Spain. In 2015, van Bronckhorst accepted his first managerial job, by becoming the manager of his boyhood club, Feyenoord. He managed to win the Eridevise in the 2016-17, his first and by far only title as a manager. He also won 2 KNVB Cups and 2 Johan Cruyff Shields. He then joined Chinese side, Guangzhou R and F, before returning to former club, Rangers. He managed to win them the Scottish Cup in the 2021-22 season before reaching the Europa League final in 2022, losing on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt. He was then sacked in November 2022.

12) Edmilson (#15)

Edmilson started the final in Paris and was the first subbed off in the 46th minute. After a poor two seasons with the Blaugrana, he left Catalonia and joined fellow La Liga side, Villareal, which after just six appearances lead to a move back to Brazil to Palmeiras. He made 22 appearances before returning to Europe to play in Spain once again. This time, it was Real Zaragoza that signed the Brazilian. After 29 appearances and escaped relegation scoring once. He then retired in 2011 at Ceara at the end of the year. Edmilson's career with Brazil lasted from 2000 to 2007, and he was part of Brazil's World Cup winning squad in 2002. His only goal for the national team came in the 2002 World Cup group stage against Costa Rica in a 5-2 win. He is currently the technical consultant for Sao Caetano.

13) Sylvinho (#16)

Sylvinho was an unsued substitute in the final. He then stayed another three years with Barcelona and won another Champions League title in 2009. He also enjoyed domestic success in Spain, winning La Liga and the Copa Del Ray in the 2008-09 season. He then made a move in the 2009 summer transfer window and joined English side, Manchester City before retiring in 2010. He only made 6 appearances for his national team, Brazil between 2000 and 2001. In 2021, Sylvinho joined Lyon ahead of the 2019-20 season, but was sacked in October 2019 after poor results. In 2021, he joined Brazilian giants, Corinthians but was sacked in 2022. He then became the manager for the Albanian national team, and helped them secure a place in EURO 2024. He still currently manages for the Albanian team.

14) Mark van Bommel (#17)

Van Bommel started the final in Paris and played up until the 61st minute, when he was substituted off for Henrik Larsson. Van Bommel then joined Bayern Munich after his participation with Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup. Within his five year stay with the Bavarian giants, van Bommel enjoyed domestic success in the 2006-07 season and the 2009-10 season, winning the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal in both respective seasons. He was also the captain of the Bayern squad that were finalists in the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League, losing to Inter Milan in the final. Midway through the 2010-11 season, van Bommel had his Bayern contract terminated and joined Italian side, AC Milan and he managed to win Serie A in his first half season with the club. In 2012, after a full season with Milan, van Bommel returned to Netherlands to play for PSV Eindhoven. After a poor campaign in the 2012-13 season, van Bommel decided to retire, making his final appearance in a 3-1 loss against Twente. With Netherlands, van Bommel represented Oranje between 2000 and 2012, appearing in 2 World Cups and 2 European Champions, making the 2010 World Cup final with the team. He then retired from the team in 2012, after Netherland's elimination from EURO 2012. Van Bommel's first managerial jobs were being the assistant managers for Saudi Arabia and Australia between 2015 and 2018, under his father-in-law, Bert van Marwijk. In August 2018, van Bommel got his first manager job with PSV Eindhoven ahead of the 2018-19 season but was sacked in December 2019 after a poor run into the 2019-20 season. In 2021, he joined Wolfsburg in Germany ahead of the 2021-22 season, but was dismissed in October after a poor run of performances. He then joined Royal Antwerp in 2022, winning the Belgian Cup and the club's first Belgian league title in 66 years. To this day, van Bommel still manages Antwerp.

15) Deco (#20)

Deco was a starter in the final and played the full 90 minutes. He then stayed two years at Barcelona and after two trophy-less seasons, he made a move to London to play for Chelsea. After enjoying domestic success with the London team, including 1 Premier League, 2 FA Cups and 1 Community Shield, Deco returned to Brazil to play for Fluminense and won 2 Brazilian Serie A titles before retiring in 2013. In terms of his international career, he had the option to play for Brazil due to the fact that he was born there but due to his Portuguese citizenship, he opted to play for Portugal. He helped them gain qualification for 2 World Cups and 1 European Championship before his retirement from the team after the 2010 World Cup. Deco returned to Barcelona in 2023 as their technical assistant which is where he currently works.

16) Oleguer Presas (#23)

Oleguer started the final in Paris and was subbed of in the 71st minute. He then made his departure in 2008 and joined Dutch giants, Ajax. In his three season spell with the club, he managed to win the Eridevise in 2010 and the KNVB Cup in 2011, before announcing his retirement in 2011. In his international career, Oleguer appeared for Catalonia between 2004 and 2009 making 6 appearances.

17) Andres Iniesta (#24)

Iniesta can often be regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in football history and of Barcelona especially. However, despite great success in the years to come, Iniesta started on the bench for the Parisian final and played for the duration of the second half, helping Barcelona comeback from the 1-0 deficit. Since then, Iniesta has enjoyed great success with both club and country. With Barcelona, Iniesta won 3 more Champions League titles in 2009, 2011 and 2015. As well as European success, he also enjoyed great domestic success, winning La Liga 7 times, the Copa Del Ray 6 times, 3 Supercopa de Espanas, 2 UEFA Super Cups and 3 Club World Cups. After winning the domestic double with the Blaugrana in the 2017-18 season, Iniesta said goodbye to Barcelona and moved to Japan to play for Vissel Kobe. During his time in Japan, Iniesta was reunited with former teammate, David Villa, while winning the 2019 Emperor's Cup and the 2020 Japanese Super Cup. After five years with Vissel Kobe, Iniesta moved to the United Arab Emirates to play for Emirates, and to this day, Iniesta still currently plays for the Emirati club. As well as his loaded success on club level, Iniesta also enjoyed great success with Spain, winning 2 European Championships in 2008 and 2012, winning best player of the tournament in the later tournament. He also won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, scoring the winning goal in the final. After a disappointing finish in EURO 2016, Iniesta retired from the international team.

18) Albert Jorquera (#25)

Jorquera was the replacement goalkeeper for Barcelona but didn't make an appearance in the final due to the presence of Victor Valdes. After victory in Paris, Jorquera served as Barcelona's replacement for three more years, winning the Treble in 2009, including La Liga, the Copa del Ray and the Champions League. After failing to breakthrough into the starting lineup, Jorquera made a move to Barca's city rivals, Girona. He managed to make more appearances, making a stunning 33 in the Segunda Division, before announcing retirement in 2010. Jorquera made 3 appearances for Catalonia in terms of national teams. Jorquera has had many previous managerial assistant jobs between 2015 and current day, being the assistant coach for Sion (Switzerland), Andorra, and Costa Brava (Spain). He is currently the assistant coach of Costa Brava in Barcelona.

19) Frank Rijkaard (Manager)

Rijkaard has hade a very decorative career, both as a player and manager. After enjoying success with Barcelona, things went downhill for Rijkaard, including poor results and elimination from the Champions League before the final. Due to this, Rijkaard was assigned to leave Barcelona at the end of the 2007-08 season. In 2009, Rijkaard returned to management and joined Turkish giants, Galatasaray before agreeing to become the manager for the Saudi Arabia national team in 2011. After a shock elimination in the Arabian Gulf Cup in 2013, Rijkaard was sacked by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. In December 2016, Rijkaard announced the he would no longer continue to become a manager.

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Champions League Where Are They Now?: Barcelona 2005-06