Manchester United vs Chelsea 2008 Champions League win: Where are the squad members now?

Manchester United defeated Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final via a tense penalty shoot-out in an all-English affair. The Manchester United vs Chelsea 2008 Champions League final was the first-ever all-English Champions League final. The Manchester United vs Chelsea Champions League final win was the last time the Premier League giants lifted the coveted trophy. The Man United 2008 squad was considered amongst the best in the club's history and included star players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Nani and Wayne Rooney. So, where are the members of the Man United 2008 squad now?

Also Read: Manchester United Vs Chelsea 2008: MUFC Crowned UCL Champions OTD 12 Years Ago; Watch

Manchester United vs Chelsea Champions League final: Man United 2008 squad

• Playing XI: Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney. 
• Substitutes: Tomasz Kuszcak, Mikael Silvestre, John O'Shea, Darren Fletcher, Anderson, Nani, Ryan Giggs. 

Manchester United vs Chelsea Champions League final: Where are the members of the Man United 2008 squad now?

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar stayed at Old Trafford for three more years before hanging up his boots. The Dutch goalkeeper featured in two more Champions League finals after the victory in the Manchester United vs Chelsea Champions League final, losing both to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. Van der Sar was replaced by David de Gea at Manchester United and the 49-year-old now serves as the CEO of former club Ajax.  

Like Van der Sar, Wes Brown was at Old Trafford until 2011 but suffered a series of injuries throughout the remainder of his career. Brown moved to Sunderland in 2011, and in his five years at the Stadium of Light, the central defender managed only 76 appearances. After spells at Blackburn and Kerala Blasters, Brown retired in 2018.  Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra all remained at the club until 2014 and were part of Sir Alex Ferguson's final swansong in the Premier League. After the 2013-14 season, Vidic departed for Inter Milan, Evra departed for Juventus, while Ferdinand signed for newly promoted Queens Park Rangers. The former England international retired in 2015, while his Serbian partner played another year, retiring in 2016. Patrice Evra was part of the Juve squad until 2017 and spent short spells at Marseille and West Ham before retiring in 2019. 

Also Read: Premier League Will Suffer Economic Fallout For Years To Come, Warns Manchester United

Owen Hargreaves was ever-present during the Manchester United vs Chelsea 2008 Champions League final, but after the win, he only featured five times for the Red Devils in the next three years due to a variety of injury issues. Another star who left Old Trafford in 2011, Hargreaves signed for cross-town rivals Manchester City, playing four times before announcing his regiment. He now serves as a pundit. Michael Carrick stayed for 10 more years after the eventful Manchester United vs Chelsea 2008 Champions League final, retiring in 2018. Carrick is now part of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's backroom staff and serves as the club's assistant manager. 

Paul Scholes was another member of the Man United 2008 squad to leave the club after their 2011 Champions League heartbreak. However, the legendary midfielder reversed his retirement and featured in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season as United boss. Since then, Scholes has served as a pundit and had a short spell at Oldham as manager. His Class of 92 teammate Ryan Giggs stayed on to be a part of David Moyes' reign and was the stand-in manager after the former Everton manager was sacked seven months into his Manchester United career. 

Also Read: Lautaro Martinez Will End Up On The Bench At Barcelona, Warns Former Juventus Boss

Cristiano Ronaldo won his first Ballon d'Or a year after the Manchester United vs Chelsea 2008 Champions League final and broke the hearts of Manchester United fans after moving to Real Madrid. The Portuguese spent nine years in Spain shattering numerous goalscoring records and lifted four more Champions League and Ballon d'Or titles. Ronaldo currently plies his trade in Serie A with Juventus. His fellow Portuguese compatriot Nani saw his value in the United setup diminish after Sir Alex Ferguson's departure and eventually left the club in 2015. After a series of spells in Spain and Portugal, the winger now plays in the MLS for Orlando City. 

Wayne Rooney stayed at the club and became the club's leading goalscorer in the process. The former England international moved to boyhood club Everton at the end of the 2016-17 season, before moving to the MLS to play for DC United. Rooney currently serves in a player-coach capacity at Championship club Derby County. His 2008 strike partner Carlos Tevez spent another season after the Manchester United vs Chelsea 2008 Champions League final at the club before his loan deal ended and moved to cross-town rivals Manchester City, making more than a 100 appearances and winning a Premier League title. He later had spells at Juventus and Shanghai Shenhua and currently plays for his boyhood club, Boca Juniors. 

Also Read: Eric Cantona Claims He Should Have Kung-fu Kicked Fan Harder, Adds He's No Role Model