Manchester United's 2007-08 Champions League Winning Squad: Where Are They Now?

21st May 2008: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia

Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (6-5)

The first all-English final in the Champions League saw English heavyweights, Manchester United and Chelsea battle out in Moscow. The side from Manchester were the ones who prevailed from the shootout thanks to the heroics from goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar and Chelsea captain, John Terry's unfortunate yet infamous slip. It was Man United's third Champions League success and their first since their glorious and unforgetable night in Barcelona back in 1999.

1) Edwin van der Sar (#1)

Van der Sar was the gaolkeeping hero for the Red Devils stopping the decisive penalty against Nicolas Anelka to win the Champions League for the Reds in Moscow. He is often considered as one of the greatest Dutch goalkeepers to grace the game while arguably being Mancheser United's greatest ever gaolkeeper. After his heroics in Moscow, van der Sar spent another 3 years with United, winning 2 Premier League titles, the League Cup, the Community Shield and the Club World Cup, while also making two Champions League finals within the span of three seasons. After final heartache in the 2011 final, van der Sar retired from football, but returned in 2016 to make one appearance with boyhood club, VV Nordwijk. Van der Sar has been a true icon not just for club but for country as well. He appeared for them in 2 World Cups and 3 UEFA EUROs. He made 130 caps for the Oranje, making him the highest appearance maker for the Dutch until 2017, when Wesley Sneijder took over. Until May 2023, he worked as Ajax's CEO and isn't currently employed with football.

2) Patrice Evra (#3)

Evra can be described as one of the best left-backs in European football and was an instrumental influence for Man United en route to Moscow. After the final, Evra spent another six years with United, winning the Premier League three times, while winning the League Cup and Community Shield twice and the Club World Cup in 2008.He also made two Champions League final After a poor finish to the 2013-14 season, Evra left United and joined Italian giants, Juventus. He won Serie A, three times with the side while winning other domestic titles in Italy. He also made his fifth Champions League final in 2015, falling short to Spanish side, Barcelona. In January 2017, Evra left Juventus and returned to France to play for Marseille. After making 15 appearance scoring only once, West Ham signed the Frenchmen, but his time with the Hammers was short and not that sweet. He only made 5 appearances domestically before retiring in July 2019 as a free agent. Evra was also a notable player for France, making appearances in 3 Euros and 2 World Cups while tackilng severe issues concerning the national team. It is shown that Evra owns a fraction of Primera Liga side, Estrela de Amadora.

3) Owen Hargreaves (#4)

Hargreaves started the match as a right midfielder for United and scored their third penalty in the shootout. After the Russian showdown, Hargreaves's form at United started to drop to a great extent and only 4 appearances in the Premier League over the next three seasons filled with injuries. Hargreaves than accepted a transfer to United's cross city rivals, Manchester City. After making just 1 Premier League appearance, Hargreaves retired and despite City winning the league, he didn't qualify for a Premier League winners medal after playing less games than expected. Hargreaves has appeared for England over 40 times, while being one of the star players for them in the 2006 World Cup. Hargreaves currently works as a part time commentator and pundit for TNT Sports.

4) Rio Ferdinand (#5)

Ferdinad was Manchester United's captain in the final in Russia and was the first one to lift the trophy. He then spent another six years with the Red Devils, conquering England 3 times, while winning FA Cups and League Cups whilst appearing in two more European Cup finals in 2009 and 2011. He then left the club in 2014 and spent a season with Queens Park Rangers before retiring in 2015. In his post playing career, Ferdinand became a boxer in 2017 but his career in boxing didn't last long for he failed to obtain an official boxing lisence, leading to the end of his boxing career in 2018. In international football, Ferdinand has appeared for England in World Cups and European Championships between 1997 and 2011, while scoring 3 times and making 81 appearances for the Three Lions. Ferdinand commonly works as a pundit and a presenter.

5) Wes Brown (#6)

Brown provided the assist for United's only goal in normal time, which was a cross for Cristiano Ronaldo. After the team's success in Moscow, Brown continued to play for Manchester United, winning Premier League after Premier League with FA Cups and League Cups while making another two European Cup finals. In 2011, Brown accepted a new challenge and joined Sunderland bit his time there was disrupted due to injuries. After some time on the sidelines, Brown joined Blackburn Rovers in 2016 for one season before moving to India to play Kerala Blasters. He then retired in 2018. Brown has appeared for England from 1999 to 2010, while scoring only once. Due to some financial and personal problems, Brown was declared bankrupt in May 2023. Not much else is known from Brown since then.

6) Cristiano Ronaldo (#7)

Ronaldo is often regarded as one of the greatest if not the greatest player to ever grace the game, due to his play style and unforgetable moments. However, Ronaldo was only starting to become such a big person in football in 2008. He scored United's only goal in normal time while missing the only penalty for United in the shootout. After that night in Moscow, Ronaldo spent another year with United, winning another Premier League and making another Champions League final. Ronaldo completed what was then a world record transfer to Real Madrid for a fee which was worth 94 million euros. Ronaldo enjoyed great success with Real Madrid during his nine year stay with the club, while breaking a number of records with his contributions for Real Madrid. Some of the records included being Real Madrid's highest all time goalscorer while being the highest the highest goalscorer in the history of the competition. Ronaldo won 4 Ballon D'or titles during his tenure with Real Madrid while also winning La Liga titles with 4 more Champions Leagues between 2014 and 2018. In the summer of 2018, Ronaldo made a shocking decision to leave Real Madrid and join Italian giants, Juventus. His time in Italy was loaded with Serie A success and Coppa Italia victory, while also increasing his tally in European football. In 2021, Ronaldo decided to return to Man United, however, his second spell with the club wasn't as sweet as we thought. After a good first season, Ronaldo found it difficult to find his way into the starting 11 for United due to communication problems with current United boss, Erik Ten Hag. Due to this, Ronaldo left United during the winter transfer window and joined Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr in January 2023. Ronaldo is still currently playing with Al Nassr. As well as enjoying great success in club football, Ronaldo is also one of the greatest international footballers, scoring a whopping 128 goals in 206 appearances for Portugal, putting him on top of the list for the highest international goalscorer in football history, while also winning EURO 2016 and the 2019 UEFA Nations League.

7) Anderson (#8)

Anderson started the final on the bench but came on in the final minute of extra time and scored United's fifth successful penalty. Anderson ended his 7 and a half year tenure with United in 2015, winning Premier Leagues, FA Cups and League Cups while making another two Champions League finals. Anderson then left for Internacional in Brazil while spending a season on loan at Coritiba in 2017. He permanently left the club in 2018 and returned to Europe to play for Adana Demirspor in Turkey. However, his time in Turkey wouldn't last long as he retired from football in 2020. While playing for Brazil, Anderson won the 2007 Copa America while making only 8 appearances for the club. He was part of Brazil's 2008 Olympic Squad when the Brazilians won bronze in Beijing. After retirement, Anderson returned to Adana to work as their assistant manager, which is where he currently works.

8) Wayne Rooney (#10)

Rooney started the final in Russia for Manchester United but was subbed off 10 minutes into extra time. After Russia, Rooney started the prove himself to be on eof the best players in not just England but in the world. Rooney during his remaining time in United won a number of trophies such as the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield while also making two more Champions League finals, scoring in the later one as well as winning the Europa League in 2017. Rooney also scored an incredible bycicle kick in 2011 in the Manchester derby against United's cross-city rivals, Manchester City which went down as one of the best goals in the history of the Premier League. After 13 years filled with success in Manchester, Rooney left United and rejoined his boyhood club Everton for one season, scoring 10 goals in 31 appearances over the course of the 2017-18 Premier League season, while also scoring an unforgetable hat-trick over West Ham United with a sweet 59 yards strike to complete his hat-trick. In 2018, Rooney moved to the MLS to play for DC United however, his time in the USA wasn't long and rememberal, so Rooney returned to England to play for Championship club, Derby County. However, due to managerial issues with Derby boss, Phillip Cocu, Rooney had to take the managerial role and take over as manager, leading to his retirement in Januaty 2021. While playing for Engalnd, Rooney has appeared for them 120 times, putting him in second in England's highest appearance maker just five appearances short of goalkeeper, Peter Shilton. Rooney was also the highest goalscorer for England with 53 goals up until 2023, when Harry Kane took over. Rooney has had several managerial jobs, with his first being with Derby County right after retirement. After Derby County's unfortunate relegation in 2022, Rooney decided to leave the club and join another former club, this time it was DC United in the USA, but due to DC United's inability to qualify for the MLS play-offs, Rooney decided to part ways with the club. Shortly afterwards, Rooney was hired by Birmingham City in October 2023 but since he only got 2 wins in 15 matches, he was sacked. Rooney currently works as a pundit for TNT Sports.

9) Ryan Giggs (#11)

Giggs is one of the greatest players to play for Manchester United, spending his enitre career playing for the Red Devils. He didn't start the final in Moscow, but he came on in the 87th minute and scored United's last penalty in the shootout. After the final, Giggs spent the rest of his career with Manchester United, winning 3 Premier Leagues, 2 League Cups, 3 Community Shields and 1 Club World Cup. In 2014, Giggs announced his retirement from football. Giggs has also been an influential player for Wales, despite not appearing in any major tournaments. In his post-retirement career, Giggs was an interim manager for United until he was promoted to become the assistant manager in 2014, but he left the role in 2016. 2 years later, Giggs was appointed by the Welsh football federation to become the men's national team coach. He guided the team to EURO 2020, but due to some personal problems, Gigg's assistant manager took over and eventually he became the full time coach leading to Gigg's resignation from the team. Giggs currently works as the co-owner and football director of Salford City in greater Manchester.

10) Nemanja Vidic (#15)

Vidic is often considered as one of the greatest defenders of his generation, and he proved it during his time in Manchester. With another six years left with the Red Devils, Vidic's last seasons with United certainly didn't dissapoint, due to his vast number of Premier League wins, as well as winning other domestic competitions in England such as the FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield. After many successful years with Man United, Vidic left the club and joined Inter Milan in Italy. However, his time in Milan didin't match the success that he had in Manchester, due to constant injuries which eventually lead to his retirement in 2016. Vidic is also one of the greatest Serbian defenders, and was part of Serbia and Montenegro's defensive line in the 2006 World Cup qualification, conceding only 1 goal thorughout the whole qualifying phase. However, due to injury problems, Vidic was ruled out of the tournament. However, Vidic returned to the squad and participated in the 2010 World Cup. He then retired from the team in 2011. In February 2023, Vidic enroled in an 18-month course on the UEFA Masters for International Players, which he currently works in.

11) Michael Carrick (#16)

Carrick was a key member for United in recent seasons and he proved his worth again in the final in Moscow. Carrick played the full 120 minutes in Russia and managed to convert his penalty in the shootout. After the final, Carrick continued having good form with United, winning a number of Premier Leagues, FA Cups, League Cups and Community Shields. He also won the Europa League in 2017, while making two more Champions League finals. He then left the club a legend in 2018, after many seasons with success. Carrick also was a key player for England, but he didn't make any appearances in any of the major tournaments that England have qualified, leading to his international retirement in 2015. In 2021, Carrick returned to Man United to work as their interim manager for a few matches due to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sacking. He managed to grab 2 wins and a draw in all his matches. In October 2022, Carrick became the first team coach for Middlesborough. He almost guided the team to promotion to the Premier League this season and was a semi finalist in the Carabou Cup. To this day, Carrick still manages Middlesborough.

12) Nani (#17)

Nani is a very contreversal player, and he has proved that over the years. Nani started the final on the bench for United, but came on in extra time and scored his penalty. After many more domestic success with Manchester United, over the course of the next six years, Nani left United on loan and joined former club, Sporting Lisbon for the 2014-15 season. Nani permanenty left the club in 2015 and joined Turkish side, Fenerbache but left after just one season and joined La Liga side, Valencia. In his one season in Mestalla, he suffered four muscular injuries, shortening his game time. In August 2017, Nani was loaned out to Lazio, but only scored once. After a return to Sporting, and spells in USA, Italy and Australia, Nani settled in Turkey and currently plays for Adana Demirspor. Nani has also been an influential player for Portugal. Appearing in 3 European Championships and 1 World Cup, captaining Portugal in the EURO 2016 final. Ronaldo was captain but due to an early injury, Nani had to take over as captain, in which he captained them to a 1-0 win in Saint Denis.

13) Paul Scholes (#18)

Scholes was a huge player en route to success for Man United, scoring a crucial goal agains Barcelona in the semi finals to take them to Moscow. Scholes started the final but was substituted in the final minutes of normal time. He then stayed another three years with United winning 2 Premier League titles, before announcing his retirement in 2011. He then came back from retirement 1 year later and continued to play for United for one more season, before retiring again in 2013, after another Premier League success. Scholes represented England 66 times, making appearances in 2 World Cups and 2 European Championships, from 1997 to 2004. Scholes only managerial job came with Oldham Atheltic in 2019, before becoming Salford City's interim manager. Scholes is currently the co-owner of Salford City.

14) John O'Shea (#22)

O'Shea is one of very few Irish players to ever win the Champions League. He was an unused substitute for United due to the presence of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. O'Shea spent another three years with United, winning 2 Premier Leagues and other domestic trophies. He then left United in 2011, and joined Sunderland. He played for the club for 7 years and suffered back to back relegations from the Premier League and the Championship in his final two years. O'Shea then left Sunderland and joined Reading. After just one season with the club, O'Shea announced his retirement in April 2019. He has appeared for Ireland at 2 European Championships and is the third highest appearance maker for the Irish national team. O'Shea has previously worked Reading, Stoke City and Birmingham City in the Championship and currently works as the interim manager of the Irish national team.

15) Darren Fletcher (#24)

Fletcher was an unused substitute for United in the final, but he still picked up a winners medal. He then spent the next 7 years with Man United, winning 3 Premier League titles, 1 League Cup and 2 Community Shields domestically while winning the Club World Cup in the same year of 2008. Fletcher then left United in 2015 and joined fellow Premier League team, West Brom. He stayed at the club for 2 years before joining Stoke City for two years. He eventually retired in 2019. Fletcher has made 80 caps for Scotland from 2003 to 2017, while scoring 5 goals. He currently works as the technical director for United.

16) Mikael Silvestre (#27)

Silvestre was an unused substitute in the final in Moscow. He then left United that same summer and joined United's bitter rivals, Arsenal. He spent 2 seasons with the Gunners, making 26 appearances while scoring 3 times domestically. He then joined Werder Bremen in 2010, and made 27 appearances in the Bundesliga, After spells in USA and India, Silvestre retired aged 39. He was part of France's 2006 World Cup squad who finished as runners up in Germany. He also won 2 Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003.

17) Tomasz Kuszczak (#29)

Kuszczak was the reserve goalie for the Red Devils, and was an unused substitute due to the presense of Edwin van der Sar. He then spent the next four years as Man United's reserve keeper, while spending the remainder of the 2011-12 season at Watford. He then left United permanently in the summer of 2012 and joined Brighton. After spells with Wolves and Birmingham City, Kuszczak retired from football in 2019. Kuszczak was part of Poland's 2006 World Cup squad, but didn't make a single appearance. Up until 2024, Kuszczak was the goalkeeping coach for the Polish national football team, until he left in March 2024.

18) Carlos Tevez (#32)

Tevez is one of the most contreversal players in football, mostly because of his transfers. Tevez started the final in Moscow and scored United's first penalty in the shootout. After the final, spent another year at Manchester, winning the Premier League and making another Champions League final. He then returned to West Ham, after his two-year loan, but left soon after and created one of the most contreversal transfers in football history. Tevez joined United's cross city rivals, Manchester City. He spent four years with the Citizens, winning the Premier League in 2012, and the FA Cup in 2011. He then left City in 2013 and joined Juventus in Italy. His time in Italy was loaded with domestic success, winning the Serie A twice and making another Champions League final in 2015. He then returned to Argentina to play for Boca Juniors for one year. After a spell in China and another few years with Boca Juniors, Tevez retired in June 2022. Playing for Argentina, Tevez made 76 caps while scoring 13 times in an Argentina shirt. He made was a runner up 3 times in the Copa America but was able to win gold in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Tevez is currently the manager of Argentinian side, Indepidiente.

19) Sir Alex Ferguson (Manager)

Sir Alex is easily regarded as one of the greatest managers to ever grace the game. He proved so during his time in Manchester, being United's manager since 1986. He was the manager and he guided the team to their 3rd Champions League title, and his second. After the final in Moscow, Sir Alex extended his record as Man United's longest serving manager and proved to the public that he was the best manager in the Premier League. In his final five years with United, Sir Alex won 3 Premier League titles to make it 13 in total, while guiding the squad to two Champions League finals in 2009 and 2011, both in which they lost to Barcelona. At the end of the 2012-13 season, Sir Alex retired from managing after he guided Man United to their 20th league title, and their last one up to date. Sir Alex is still in cahoots with Man United, and currently works as their director of the football board.

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