REAL MADRID
Real Madrid's Champions League winners in 1998: Where are they now?
The team that beat Juventus in the final in Amsterdam had some world class players and household names but what did they do after that historic year.
Real Madrid are in another Champions League final. On May 20th, 20 years ago, Real Madrid won their seventh Champions League title. The 11 players that took to the field that day in 1998 were: Illgner, Hierro, Seedorf, Redondo, Panucci, Morientes, Karembeu, Mijatovic, Roberto Carlos, Raul and Sanchis. Here's what those players did after their careers and that history-altering night in Amsterdam against Juventus.
Bodo Illgner
A World Cup winning keeper with Germany in 1990, Illgner was signed at the behest of Fabio Capello who wanted a tall keeper with a wide reach. Stayed at Real Madrid until 2001 when he retired and remained in Spain to live in Altea (Alicante) although he spends long periods in Miami. He is a commentator for BeIN Sports.
Christian Panucci
After leaving Real Madrid in 1999, he kept playing with Inter and then Chelsea, Monaco, Roma and Parma where he hung up his boots in 2010. He became a coach and sat in the dugout at Livorno and Ternana. Also helped Fabio Capello with Russia's national team. He is a commentator on Sky Italia.
Manuel Sanchís
He was the captain of the team on the night and the last remaining member of the "Quinta del Buitre" to life the European Cup with Madrid. He is a commentator on Cadena COPE, and also an entrepeneur. He organises cultural and sporting events, directs a business masters degree and has business in wine also. He is also a big fan of opera, bullfighting and painting.
Fernando Hierro
He left Madrid in 2003 after an argument with president Florentino Pérez and the sporting directors when they won the league. Played in Qatar (Al-Rayyan) and in England (Bolton). He retired in the summer of 2005. Two years later, he became the sporting director of the Spanish Football Federation. Under his watch, Spain win the World Cup in 2010 and the Euros in 2008. He was the general manager of Málaga in 2011 and 2012 and last season he was the manager of Real Oviedo in Segunda. He was Carlo Ancelotti's assistant at Real Madrid during the 2014-15 season. In November 2017, the Spanish Federation made it official that Hierro had signed on as sporting director.
Roberto Carlos
One of the best left-backs there ever was. Arrived at Madrid in 1996 and left in 2007 for Fenerbahçe, where he stayed until 2009. Returned to Brazil where he played with Corinthians before returning to Europe to play with Anzhi where he took on the role of player-manager in 2011-12. Had a tried stint in the Indian Super League with Delhi Dynamos and returned to Madrid in 2016 as an ambassador, co-ordinator of the cantera and commentator for the first team on Real Madrid TV.
Fernando Redondo
Left Madrid for Milan in 2000. Played for six seasons in a Real Madrid jersey where he proved himself as one of the best midfielders in the world and retired in 2004 with injuries catching up with him to the point where he almost couldn't play much of the time. Took the title as coach with the Spanish Football Federation. He has investments in real estate and in Argentina he has a business that is referred to as "Frigoríficos" which is a slaughterhouse and also a place where dried meats are cured.
Clarence Seedorf
Left Madrid for Inter in December 1999 for 4,500 million pesetas (around 27 million euros), and then on to Milan in 2002 when he stayed until 2012. He left to play in Brazil and did so in Botafogo. In 2014, he became a manager and had a motorcycle team named Seedorf Team from 2002 until 2007. He sold it but still has involvement. Managed in China with Shenzen. Took charge of Deportivo la Coruña midway through the season but could not stop them from being relegated.
Christian Karembeu
Ambassador for LaLiga and also with FIFA. He has a clothing business for all types of sports called Line, We Love The Challenge. After leaving Madrid, he played with Middlebrough, Olympiakos, Servette and Bastia. Member of the Laureus awards.
Predrag Mijatovic
Goalscorer in the final. Curiously, only scored one goal in Europe during the same year. He left Madrid in 1999 to play with Fiorentina where he stayed for three years before returning to Valencia to play with Levante. There, he would retire in 2003. In 2006, he returned to be the director of football in Madrid. He brought in players like Van Nistelrooy, Cannavaro, Pepe and Marcelo amongst others. Resigned from his role in 2009 but continues working as a players' agent.
Raúl
Above all, he is a symbol for Madrid fans. He left the club in 2010 after 16 years. Played with Schalke 04, Al-Sadd and the New York Cosmos and retired in 2015. He was named country manager of LaLiga in the United States and worked to expand Spanish football in the north American country. Commentator with BeIN Sports. Now, he is training to become a manager with the Spanish Football Federation.
Fernando Morientes
He is also an ambassador for LaLiga. After leaving Madrid in 2004, he played with Liverpool, Valencia and Olympique Marseille. He retired in 2010. Also became a manager but only coached in Real Madrid's lower categories and with Fuenlabrada's second team. In 2015, he returned to play with Santa Ana in Madrid. He is a commentator for COPE and Cuatro.
Jaime
Came up through the Real Madrid academy and replaced Morientes in the final with 10 to go. He left Real Madrid in 1999 for Deportivo la Coruña where he would win La Liga. From there he went to Racing Santander, Tenerife, Hannover, Albacete and Racing de Ferrol where he would hang up his boots in 2006. He is currently a manager and has coached Eume and Ordes, two teams in Galicia.
Jose Emilio Amavisca
Signed from Valladolid and arrived in 1994 before leaving in 1999 for Racing Santander. Also played with Depor and Espanyol where he would retire in 2005. Came on for Raul with the game almost over. Became a commentator for Audiovisual Sports and Tablero Deportivo in Spain. Also directed the municipal football school in Santander and is a member of the Spanish Association of International Footballers.
Davor Suker
At the end, he played just two minutes in the final. He was the last player to touch the ball before German referee Helmut Krug blew the final whistle. After leaving Madrid in 1999, he played with Arsenal and West Ham and with Munich 1860. He is the current president of the Croatian football federation and has real estate business and a hotel business in Croatia.
