Champions League 2005 final: Liverpool's Istanbul team - where are they now?

The 2005 Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan is fondly remembered as one of the finest moments in the club’s history.

Liverpool went into the final knowing they were facing a far superior team that was stacked with elite European talent: Andrea Pirlo, Paolo Maldini, Cafu, Andriy Shevchenko, Clarence Seedorf and Kaka are just a few examples of the stunning players Liverpool faced in Istanbul.

It was a tough ask, to overcome such a formidable outfit. But no one could have predicted the Reds trailing 3-0 at half-time after being mauled for the opening 45 minutes.

Miraculously though, Liverpool came back from the brink. In an incredible turn of events that wouldn’t have been amiss in a Hollywood theatre, that very special Liverpool team pulled off the impossible – fighting back to draw 3-3 before winning the tie on penalties.

It’s a moment etched in history and the players involved won’t be forgotten in a hurry – so with that in mind, where are they now?

Jerzy Dudek

The Polish keeper’s iconic double save against Shevchenko in the final minutes of extra time just summed up the miracle of Istanbul. He also pulled off the crucial penalty save against the Ukrainian to give Liverpool the cup.

Despite his heroics, though, Pepe Reina became Liverpool’s number one the following season and Dudek eventually went to Real Madrid to be their number two.

After hanging up his gloves in 2011 he then enjoyed a spell as a racing driver, although it was more an obsessive hobby rather than a full-time career.

“Motor racing was my passion before football,” Dudek told the LFC website. “I raced go-karts but of course that stopped when I became a professional footballer.

“It really is like a footballer’s life. You have