Very few sporting events become mythologised within minutes of their ending. It usually takes many subsequent years in the wilderness to beguile a success in posterity, yet the 2005 Champions League final took no such time. While Liverpool did, admittedly, respond to the event with the requisite lack of success, the game itself had passed into myth by the time Josemi had scandalously rushed front and centre beside Steven Gerrard for the trophy presentation.
There were exaggerated stories propounded in the immediate aftermath: the story that the Milan team were heard celebrating in the dressing-room at half-time has had cold water poured upon it by a number of different sources, and too much has been read into Gennaro Gattuso's familiar pat of the trophy as he took to the field. Milan only really played poorly for six minutes in that final. Sadly for them, they conceded three goals in that time.
They had revenge against Liverpool in Athens two years later, but it is this defeat that they are most remembered for. So it's time to ask about that Milan team, where are they now?
Dida
Was Dida the weakest link in that Milan team? He was the penalty shoot-out hero against Juventus in 2003, but he could probably have done a bit better on Vladimir Smicer's long-range shot in Istanbul. Perhaps his failure to keep it out is excused by the miraculous way in which Milan Baros obstructed his view only to dive out of the way at the last second.
Dida remained at Milan for a further five years, eventually leaving in 2010, having made more than 200 appearances for the club. While error-prone, Dida became the inaugural winner of the FIFPro Goalkeeper of the Year award.
When Dida left Milan, he had, in essence, retired, playing with the Milan legends team and Milan's beach football team. The pull of professional football proved irresistible, however, and in 2012 he signed a contract with Portuguesa in Sao Paolo. Here he performed well, and subsequently played with Gremio and then joined their fierce rivals, Internacional. Having fallen out of favour there, he has signed with another Brazilian club, Coritiba, at the age of 42.
He has now retired, and last he was heard of, he was heading off to China to be Clarence Seedorf's assistant at second division club, Shenzhen FC.
Cafu
Cafu was captain of Brazil's 2002 World-Cup winning team and joined Milan a year later from Roma. Liverpool's comeback began when John Arne-Riise's left-wing cross deflected off Cafu, falling kindly to allow a second effort, a cross that ended in the back of the net via Steven Garrard's forehead.
Cafu ended his playing career with Milan three years later in 2008. He is the most-capped international footballer in Brazil's history. After retirement, Cafu has lived an enviable lifestyle, roaming around and turning up at random events. Most fondly for Liverpool fans was the odd friendship he struck up with Jon Flanagan in 2014, having noticed the Scouse portion of his twitter followers referring to Flanagan as the 'Red Cafu'. This led to Cafu turning up at Anfield for a 4-0 win against Tottenham, with Flanagan outstanding; memorably confirming to Roberto Soldado that it was time he returned to Spain with an incredibly robust tackle in Liverpool's penalty area.
Me and the legend Cafu pic.twitter.com/wyKASxybiC
— jon flanagan (@jon_flan93) May 10, 2014
Jaap Stam
Stam is remembered as much for Alex Ferguson's hubris as much as anything else: he was the only player whom Ferguson agreed he had sold too soon. Stam joined Lazio from United in 2001, and made the move to Milan at the beginning of the season which ended with the gall of Istanbul.
The Dutchman stayed on at Milan for a further season, ending his career with two seasons at Ajax in from 2006 to 2008. It was a fine farewell: Stam was made captain and won the KNVB Cup in 2007. Stam has since moved into coaching, beginning with a return to Manchester United in a scouting capacity, responsible for South America. Having spent time at Ajax as an assistant coach with both the senior squad and the youth teams, Stam is now manager at Reading, and is on the verge of promotion to the Premier League. All that stands in his way is Huddersfield in the play-off final at Wembley.
Alessandro Nesta
Nesta was perhaps fortunate in Istanbul to get away with a handball from Luis Garcia in the penalty area; an escape which kickstarted the move which ended in Milan's second goal. Nesta continued at Milan until 2012, a time in which he exacted revenge on Liverpool in the 2007 final.
Nesta's Europan Cup final came either side of Italy's 2006 World Cup triumph, for which he was largely a bystander: injury in the second group game kept him out of the tournament, allowing Marco Materazzi become one of the most infamous players in World cup history.
After leaving Milan, Nesta signed with Montreal Impact in MLS, for whom he played with for just over a year. He didn't retire just then: he was signed by Materazzi to play with Chennaiyin in the Indian Super League, where his defensive partner was Mikel Silvestre.
Like Stam, Nesta has made a move to management: last year he was announced as head coach of Miami FC, who play in the North American Soccer League, a divisional rung below MLS. He is still there, but has struggled: he's won just 11 of his 36 games in charge.
Paolo Maldini
Maldini opened the scoring in Istanbul, scoring the fastest goal in European Cup final history. Mr. Milan extricated himself from the club following retirement in 2009. Maldini made 902 appearances for the club also beguiled by the presence of his father, Cesare, who passed away last month. In a tribute to a man who made more Serie A appearances than anyone else, Milan retired Maldini's Number 3 shirt.
Maldini held talks with Carlo Ancelotti upon retirement, and it was later revealed that he turned down an offer to join the Chelsea coaching staff.
Maldini is a co-owner of Miami FC, but his connection with Milan has not been lost: his son Christian captained AC Milan's Under-19 team last year, becoming the third Maldini to captain a Milan team.
Andrea Pirlo
Pirlo is still playing: with New York City FC, albeit to little distinction. Despite his wish to carry on with the Italian national squad, Pirlo has not been selected by Antonio Conte for the Italian Euro 2016 squad. Like the many wines he drinks, Pirlo's career got better as it progressed, and utterly bamboozled England at Euro 2012, ending with a psychologically defeating panenka over Joe Hart in the penalty shoot-out.
In 2007, Pirlo took the free kick which deflected off Pippo Inzaghi which put Milan 1-0 up at half-time. Since that triumph, he has released a rather wonderful book, entitled I think Therefore I Play. This was his evocative recollection of Istanbul, as he felt Liverpool were propelled by a kind of destiny:
'It’s an enemy that I can’t allow to wound me a second time. It’s already done enough damage: most of it hidden far from the surface.
'I’ll never watch that match again. I’ve already played it once in person and many other times in my head, searching for an explanation that perhaps doesn’t even exist.
'It was suggested we hang a black funeral pall as a permanent reminder on the walls of Milanello, right next to the images of triumph. A message to future generations that feeling invincible is the first step on the path to the point of no return.
'Personally, I’d add that horrendous result to the club’s honours board. I’d write it slap bang in the middle of the list of leagues and cups they’ve won, in a different coloured ink and perhaps a special font, just to underline its jarring presence.'
Magnificent.
Gennaro Gattuso
The combustible Gattuso hit the headlines with Milan in 2011 for having the temerity to confront Tottenham coach Joe Jordan on the touchline, which Harry Redknapp laughs off as a foolish terrier thinking he could scrap with a bear. Gattuso stayed at Milan until 2012, ending his career with FC Sion in Switzerland, having been denied a return to Rangers owing to his former club's financial difficulties. It was at Sion he made his first steps into management, as player-manager.
It was at Sion he made his first steps into management, as player-manager. The club was a basket case: he was the club's fifth manager of the 2012-13 season, and his predecessor was not even sacked: he was demoted to a scouting role. He took over in February, won his first game, but was sacked by May.
It was a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire, as Gattuso was appointed as manager of notoriously trigger-happy Palermo. He was given just six league games in charge before he was fired. Next came a season in charge of OFI Crete in 2014-15, and he is now the head coach at Pisa. Presumably given the role for his talent at leaning into headbutts.
Clarence Seedorf
He ended his time as a player with Botafogo in January 2014 to become the manager of Milan to replace Max Allegri. He lasted just four months, sacked and replaced by another Istanbul luminary, Pippo Inzaghi. Seedorf has since done a lot of TV work, appearing on Match of the Day.
In July of last year, he was announced as manager of Chinese second division side Shenzen FC, but has since been replaced by Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Away from the field, Seedorf was announced as the Nelson Mandela Foundation's latest Legacy Champion. He follows in the footsteps of Bill Clinton, David Rockefeller and brief FIFA presidential candidate, Tokyo Sexwale.
Seedorf is fluent in six languages.
Kaka
Kaka ran the first half against Liverpool, only to fade from the game when Rafa Benitez introduced Didi Hamann at half-time. Kaka was at the peak of his powers two years later, guiding Milan past Manchester United to set up the 2007 rematch with Liverpool. He joined the second Galacticos revolution at Real Madrid in 2009, signed alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. While Ronaldo and Benzema prospered, Kaka struggled, held back by the lasting effects of a knee injury.
Kaka then returned to Milan in the summer of 2013, but scored just seven times as he failed to recapture his previous form. He then moved to the MLS, where he fulfilled what was presumably a childhood ambition in playing alongside Sean St Ledger at Orlando City. He was allowed to terminate his Milan contract by dint of a clause allowing him to do so should Milan fail to qualify for Europe. He is still playing away in the States.
Hernan Crespo
In 2005, Crespo seemed to be on a one-man mission to atone for the failures of his parent club Chelsea, scoring twice in the opening half, the second leading Sky commentator to declare that "this is over"; voicing the fatalism many British football commentators like to indulge in. After the final, Crespo returned to Chelsea but forced to make a full impact on Jose Mourinho's first-team, and in 2006 returned on loan to Italy: this time with Inter.
He made this move permanent in 2008. Under Mourinho, Crespo made just 14 league appearances with Inter during the 08/09 season, he joined Genoa for a season before ending his career with Parma, the club at which he began his European career in 1996. He retired as a player in 2012.
He then took steps into coaching, appointed as the youth team coach of Parma. Financial ruin saw the club dissolved, which saw Crespo out of a job. He was appointed manager of Modena in Serie B two years ago, but was sacked in March 2016.
Andriy Shevchenko
Shevchenko looked utterly bereft as he took his penalty in Istanbul: and his failure to convert meant Liverpool's victory. He spent another season at Milan before eventually fulfilling Roman Abramovich's existential wish to sign him for Chelsea. Shevchenko flopped at the Bridge, scoring just nine league goals. Like so many of his teammates in 2005, disappointment elsewhere heralded a return to Milan. Like Kaka, this was a disappointment, failing to score a single league goal in 18 appearances.
In 2009, Shevchenko returned to the club where he made his name: Dynamo Kiev. This was more successful: 23 league goals in 55 games, before calling it a day in 2012.
He quit football for politics, standing for election with the Ukraine-Forward! party (the former social democrat party). This did not go well: his party secured just 1.58% of the national vote and secured exactly zero constituency seats.
In 2016, Shevchenko was announced as the new manager of the Ukraine national team. They currently sit third in their World Cup qualifying group, behind Croatia and Ukraine.
He also randomly played alongside Rory McIlroy at the pro-am before the 2013 Irish Open:
All images via Sportsfile.
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