Where Are They Now? Rangers’ 2008 UEFA Cup Final team

Glasgow Rangers, the proud, perhaps former giant has been hitting the headlines for a while now – and for all the wrong reasons. So it seems the perfect time for Johann Sigurdsson to look back to when they were challenging with the best of them and discover what happened to the team which lost to Zenit Saint Petersburg in the 2008 Uefa Cup Final.

Goalkeeper

Neil Alexander

Alexander was mostly Rangers’ second-choice keeper behind Allan McGregor, who was injured for the final. After leaving the club at the end of 2013 he joined Crystal Palace but only stayed at Selhurst Park for one season. Today he plays for Hearts in the Scottish Championship where he is the first-choice goalie.

Right-back 

Kirk Broadfoot

After leaving Ibrox when the club went into administration, Broadfoot migrated over the boarder to sign for Blackpool. He played for the Seasiders for two seasons. Having not been offered a new contract at the club, he joined Rotherham United last summer.

Centre-back

David Weir

Weir joined the Scottish giants in January 2007 after having enjoyed a great career at Everton and quickly established himself as one of the Gers most important players. He was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2011 – the first player in their history to be so while under contract at the club. He is now the assistant manager of high-flying Championship side Brentford.

Centre-back

Carlos Cuellar

The Spaniard arrived in Scotland at the start of the season and he put his mark on the team instantly. But after scooping the Scottish Premier League Player of the Year award, he was sold to Aston Villa the next season before joining Sunderland in 2012. Today he plies his trade at Norwich. 

Left-back

Sasa Papac

Papac joined Rangers from Austria Wien in the summer of 2006, incredibly the third player they signed from the Austrians in that summer window. It was to be Papac’s last club as he retired after leaving in 2012.

Defensive Midfielder

Brahim Hemdani

Moving to Glasgow in 2005, Hemdani soon became an important player at the club and instrumental in their play. After having been frozen out of the first team at the end of the 2008/09 season he left Ibrox. Since then he has not played for another team, so it’s fair to say that he’s retired.

Right Winger

Steven Whittaker

Whittaker was one of several players that left the club on a free following the farce that followed Charles Green becoming chief executive in 2012. He’s been reunited with former Gers team-mate Cuellar at Norwich.

Central Midfielder

Barry Ferguson

Ferguson came through the ranks at Gers and would go on to become a club legend. This was his second spell at the club after having been sold to Blackburn Rovers in 2003. He left Ibrox for good in 2009 when he was sold to Birmingham City and then later joined Blackpool where he was also caretaker manager. Ferguson was appointed player-manager of Scottish League Two side Clyde last summer.

Central Midfielder

Kevin Thomson

Thomson played for Rangers between 2007-10, having joined the club from Hibernian. Since then he’s appeared for Middlesbrough, before returning to Easter Road for a second spell. He now captains Dundee.

Left Winger

Steven Davis

The Northern Irishman had only been at the club for four months when he played in the Uefa Cup Final, having joined the club on loan from Fulham in 2008. He signed permanently at the end of the season. Davis cancelled his contract with the club in light of the Green saga and signed for Southampton.

Striker

Jean-Claude Darcheville

Quite the journeyman, Darcheville played for nine clubs over the course of his career. He played for Rangers from 2007-09, but his list of clubs included Rennes, Nottingham Forest, Bordeaux, Nantes and Kavala. He retired in 2011 after having played a season for the Greek side AO Kavala.

The Manager

Walter Smith

Mostly known for his work with Glasgow Rangers, Smith also managed Everton for four seasons, Scotland for three years and briefly assisted Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. He’ll forever be kindly remembered at Ibrox, especially for winning the league ten times in two spells at the club.

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