Rangers are in the Europa League final with Eintracht Frankfurt after edging RB Leipzig, but where are the Gers side that reached their last European final in the 2008 UEFA Cup now?
The Premiership giants ended a 36-year wait for a major European final 14-years ago when they faced Zenit St Petersburg. But Walter Smith could not return the UEFA trophy to Ibrox as Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyryanov’s goals dealt Rangers a 2-0 defeat in Manchester.
- Everton’s last XI before Moshiri takeover, only one survivor
- England at the World Cup: Three Lions’ group stage record ahead of Qatar
A trip to what would be named the Etihad Stadium was the Gers’ first European final since the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972, which they won. Now, boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has a chance to take another European title to Glasgow with Rangers in the Europa League final.
Van Bronckhorst narrowly guided the 2020/21 Premiership title-holders into the knockout rounds after finishing Group A in second to Lyon. Rangers trailed the Ligue 1 outfit by eight points, and edged Sparta Prague for the runners-up spot by just the single point with eight.
Shocking Borussia Dortmund away from home in the knockout round play-offs set up a win for Rangers 6-4 on aggregate. The Gers would go on to enjoy euphoric comebacks at Ibrox in the quarter-final against Braga and in the semis with RB Leipzig after losing the first-legs.
Now, Rangers head for Seville on May 18 to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final. But where are the Rangers side that reached the Ibrox natives’ last European final in the 2008 UEFA Cup now? Including one name who could now avenge the defeat to Zenit.
Neil Alexander (GK) – Rangers’ 2008 UEFA Cup finalist now retired since 2018
Neil Alexander guarded Rangers’ net during their last European final in the 2008 UEFA Cup and is now retired. The goalkeeper called time on his career a decade after losing to Zenit after 447 career appearances, which included three Premiership titles while with the Gers.
Rangers won three-in-a-row with Alexander at Ibrox between 2008 to 2011, plus a Scottish Cup and two Scottish League Cups. The Edinburgh native was never Smith’s number one in the role, yet started the UEFA Cup final with Allan McGregor sidelined with an ankle injury.
Kirk Broadfoot (RB) – Former Gers defender now at Inverness
Rangers signed Kirk Broadfoot from St Mirren in 2007 and benefitted from his services to 2012 when he joined Blackpool. The defender’s career would later take him to Rotherham United in 2014, before returning to Scotland with Kilmarnock between 2017 and 2019.
St Mirren would come calling three years ago offering a return to Paisley. Yet he only spent four months back there before returning to Kilmarnock until last July when the centre-back joined Inverness. Now 37, Rangers’ 2008 UEFA Cup finalist is a fixture at the Caley Thistle.
David Weir (CB) – Rangers’ 2008 UEFA Cup finalist now Brighton technical director
David Weir spent the final five years of his career with Rangers up to retiring in 2012 after 215 Gers appearances. Only the 265 he made for Everton eclipse his Ibrox tally, where the defender helped to three Premiership titles, two Scottish League Cups and a Scottish Cup.
The Premiership additionally named Weir as their Player of the Year for the 2009/10 term. He went on to enjoy various coaching positions with Everton, Sheffield United, Brentford, Rangers, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest before joining Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018.
Weir was the assistant manager during Mark Warburton’s spell at Rangers from June 2015 to February 2017. He later joined Brighton as their loan player manager, before becoming interim technical director this February after Dan Ashworth stepped down from the role.
Carlos Cuellar (CB) – Rangers’ one-season wonder now retired since 2019
Carlos Cuellar only spent a season with Rangers, but started in the UEFA Cup final against Zenit in Manchester. Smith signed the Spaniard from Osasuna in 2007 for £2.5m, but the defender’s contract allowed him to speak to clubs for the £8m Aston Villa offered in 2008.
Ally McCoist explored re-signing Cuellar for the Gers in 2011, but pulled the plug – despite agreeing a £2m fee. He instead joined Sunderland in 2012, before Norwich, Almeria, Petah Tikva, Kiryat Shmona, Beitar Jerusalem and Bnei Yehuda before he retired in October 2019.
Sasa Papac (LB) – 2008 UEFA Cup finalist retired with Rangers in 2012
Sasa Papac spent the final six years of his career with Rangers and started during their last European final in the 2008 UEFA Cup. The Gers signed the full-back from Austria Vienna in 2006 and he would play 210 games, and helped the Ibrox side win three Premiership titles.
The 40-cap Bosnia and Herzegovina international has only spent one year in football since retiring as a player. Bosnian Premijer Liga outfit Zeljeznicar Sarajevo hired Papac as their director of football in November 2017. But he only held the role until the following June.
Brahim Hemdani (CM) – Rangers’ 2008 UEFA Cup anchor now Courbevoie manager
Rangers offered Brahim Hemdani his first foray away from France in 2005 after careers for RC Paris, Cannes, Strasbourg and Marseille. The two-cap Algeria international remained at Ibrox until 2009 when he retired from playing, following 96 total appearances for the Gers.
Cote Bleue offered Rangers’ 2008 UEFA Cup anchor his return to football in 2017 as their assistant manager. He later became first-team boss at the French National 3 division side in 2019. But Hemdani held the role for a year before taking over Courbevoie to this day.
Barry Ferguson (CM) – Rangers’ UEFA Cup final captain now unemployed manager
Barry Ferguson captained Rangers in their last European final as Smith’s side lost to Zenit in the 2008 UEFA Cup. He spent two spells at Ibrox from rising through the academy for his debut in 1998 and joining Blackburn Rovers in 2003, before returning from 2005 to 2009.
The midfielder made 220 career appearances at the Ibrox outfit for six Premiership titles, five Scottish Cups and five Scottish League Cups. Ferguson later moved into management at Clyde in 2014, before spells in charge at Kelty Hearts and Alloa Athletic until February.
Kevin Thomson (CM) – Barry Ferguson’s former teammate his heir at Kelty Hearts
Rangers called on Kevin Thomson for three seasons between 2007 and 2010 after signing the midfielder from Hibernian. He went on to play for Middlesbrough before returning to Hibs twice, alongside spells at Dundee FC and lastly Tranent JFC before retiring in 2016.
The three-cap Scotland international returned to Ibrox in 2018 as a youth coach before he became U18s boss in 2019. Thomson left Rangers in May 2021 to replace his 2008 UEFA Cup final teammate Ferguson as Kelty Hearts manager, with whom he won League Two.
Steven Whittaker (RW) – Star of Rangers’ last European final now Dunfermline coach
Steven Whittaker was one of the stars of Rangers’ last European final with a starting role in the 2008 UEFA Cup clash with Zenit in Manchester. The 31-cap Scotland winger spent five years at Ibrox from 2007 to 2012, and continued playing to retiring in the summer of 2021.
He called time on his career after a year with Dunfermline, where Whittaker held a player-coach role. The Pars hired the 37-year-old as their assistant manager and played 24 times last term, before stepping up his off-the-field duties and focusing solely on being a coach.
Jean-Claude Darcheville (ST) – One-time Premiership winner retired in 2014
Two seasons was all Jean-Claude Darcheville spent with Rangers, but started in the 2008 UEFA Cup final. The Manchester affair came during his first year at Ibrox, before winning the Premiership title in term two. It would be the striker’s only trophy while in Glasgow.
Darcheville returned to France after his Ibrox spell with Valenciennes and joined Nantes later in 2009. His career would take the attacker to AO Kavala in Greece before returning home to French Guiana with Sinnamary and then Saint-Georges, before retiring in 2014.
Steven Davis (LW) – Rangers’ UEFA Cup finalist now has eyes on Europa League glory
Steven Davis started Rangers’ last European final in the 2008 UEFA Cup, and will now have his eyes on avenging the Zenit result when Van Bronckhorst’s side face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final. He is the only one who started the 2008 clash at Ibrox today.
The Gers re-signed Davis in 2019 after the midfielder left Southampton, who paid the Ibrox side £3m back in 2012. He initially returned to Glasgow on loan ahead of his contract at St Mary’s expiring. Van Bronckhorst last fielded the 37-year-old in Europe in the group stage.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
