AC Milan 2005: Where are they now?

Carlo Ancelotti's side was a formidable one, decorated with some of the greatest names to play football over the last two decades.

So, where are Andriy Shevchenko, Paolo Maldini and co now?

Dida

At the time of the 2005 final Dida was rated as one of the world's best goalkeepers, having won the Champions League with Milan in 2003 and broken the competition's consecutive clean sheets record with seven in 2005. After leaving Milan in 2010, he had a near two-year hiatus from football before returning to play in his native Brazil. He most recently played for Nacional, but has agreed to sign for Coritiba after falling out of favour at the Porto Alegre club.

Cafu

Brazil's most-capped player and one of the best full-backs to ever play the game. Despite being 35 at the time of the 2005 final, he was still a key man at Milan and on the international stage. After retiring from football and leaving Milan in 2008, Cafu has been spotted at numerous sporting events around the world as he makes the most of his free time. He was last seen visiting the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Team during the Itajai In-Port sailing race in April this year.

Jaap Stam

Familiar to Reds from his stint at Manchester United, Stam was an uncompromising Dutch defender who built a reputation as one of Europe's most solid centre-backs. Since retiring in 2007, Stam has remained in football, working as a scout at United, assistant coach at his first club PEC Zwolle, and taking the same role at Ajax with the first-team and youth squads.

Alessandro Nesta

One of Italy's greatest centre-backs, Nesta joined Milan from his boyhood club Lazio in 2002 after the Roman side experienced financial difficulties. He became part of a formidable Milan defence that won two Champions League titles but couldn't tame the Reds in the 2005 final. Nesta played in the Indian Super League in 2014, but is currently doing his coaching badges and has expressed a desire to coach in MLS, where he spent a season with Montreal Impact in 2012.

Paolo Maldini

One of the greatest defenders in history, Maldini had been a member of the senior squad at Milan for an incredible 20 years when the then 37-year-old took on Liverpool in the 2005 final. Amazingly, he managed another four seasons with the Rossoneri, gaining revenge over the Reds in the 2007 final. After retiring in 2009, Maldini has often been touted as ready to return to Milan in some capacity but is yet to take up a role at the club where he enjoyed almost a quarter of a century of success and where his two sons play in the youth teams.

Andrea Pirlo

The stylish midfielder would later go on to torment England from the spot with a panenka in Euro 2012, but in the 2005 final he couldn't beat Jerzy Dudek as Milan fell behind in the shootout. Pirlo was allowed to leave Milan on a free transfer in 2011 and joined Juventus. The Old Lady have won every Scudetto since, with many crediting Pirlo's passing as key to their success. However, he is set to leave Turin this summer with clubs across the world vying for his signature despite his advancing years.

Gennaro Gattuso

Gattuso was a gritty, determined midfielder, who had honed his skills with a season in Scotland with Rangers before returning to Italy. He and Pirlo formed a complementary central midfield partnership which was vital to Milan's success in the middle of the last decade. Gattuso has recently been playing in Crete and owns a fish shop in his home town of Corigliano Calabro. This year, he attempted to return to Scottish football by applying to become the manager of Hamilton Academicals in January.

Clarence Seedorf

The Dutchman is the only player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs: Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007. A versatile attacking midfielder, he was still an important player for Milan by the time he left the club in 2012 to play in Brazil. He retired at the age of 38 in January 2014 to become manager of Milan but could not replicate his success at the club as a player. Seedorf only lasted four months in the job before being replaced by former teammate Pippo Inzaghi.

Kaka

The 2007 Ballon d'Or winner was known as one of the most effortlessly talented attacking midfielders in the world in the mid-2000s, and in the first half of the 2005 final he appeared to be picking the Liverpool defence apart at will. He joined Real Madrid in 2009 for a world record fee of £56m before returning to Milan in 2013. Kaka has recently moved to MLS expansion franchise Orlando City, becoming the league's highest-paid player ever. He has enjoyed an excellent start to his career in Florida, coming second in the voting for the player of the month for March 2015.

Hernan Crespo

Crespo was on loan at Milan from Chelsea in 2005, having fallen out of favour after the arrival of Jose Mourinho. He showed the class that had once made him the world's most expensive player in the final by scoring twice to help carve out a three-goal lead. After returning to his first European club Parma in 2009, he retired in 2012 and now works as the coach of the Italian club's youth team.

Andriy Shevchenko

One of the greatest strikers of his generation, Shevchenko made his name in a superb Dynamo Kiev side before hitting the big time at Milan, for whom he scored 175 goals. Despite his legendary status for the club, he missed the crucial penalty in the final shootout. Unlike many of his teammates he was no longer around to gain revenge on the Reds in the 2007 final having left for Chelsea. After an unhappy time at the Blues, he returned to Milan before finishing his career back at Kiev. He embarked on a political career in 2012, but failed to be elected to the Ukrainian parliament.

Serginho

A marauding, pacy winger, Serginho was one of the less-heralded Brazilians to play in Serie A. He became noted for his remarkable longevity at Milan, keeping his pace well into his mid-30s and beating players a decade his junior when called upon. A hero among Milan fans for his commitment to their cause, Serginho occasionally turns out for the club's veterans team, Milan Glorie.

Rui Costa

A member of Portugal's much vaunted 'golden generation', Costa was in the twilight of his career at Milan at the time of the 2005 final, but had enjoyed a glittering career in Serie A with Fiorentina, often being named among the league's best midfielders. Costa is now director of football at Benfica, where he has overseen an upturn in their fortunes with a collection of canny signings and youth development, with the likes of Nemanja Matic and Liverpool's Lazar Markovic giving the club an impressive title win as they went unbeaten in 2013-14.

Jon Dahl Tomasson

Tomasson was known to English fans from his time at Kenny Dalglish's Newcastle United side in 1997-98. However, the Dane was actually an accomplished player whose struggles in England weren't representative of his talent - as shown when he calmly tucked a penalty past Jerzy Dudek in the Istanbul shootout. Since retiring, he has coached Excelsior, with whom he had some success before leaving for Roda JC in January 2014. He failed to impress at the Eredivisie side, however, overseeing relegation and leaving the club in May that year.