Highlights
- Tomasz Kuszczak respected Edwin van der Sar as a fantastic goalkeeper and was content with his role as backup at Manchester United.
- Chris Eagles did not have a successful career at Old Trafford and was known for getting into trouble, but he fondly remembers his time working under Sir Alex Ferguson.
- Dong Fangzhuo, often referred to as the "Chinese Rooney," had a disappointing football career but now coaches children with special needs and finds their passion and concentration inspiring.
When Manchester United travelled to Stamford Bridge in May 2007 they received a guard of honour from Chelsea’s players.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side had just been crowned Premier League champions, so the likes of John Terry, Claude Makelele and Michael Essien applauded their opponents onto the pitch.
However, Fergie had deployed a weakened starting XI with the forthcoming FA Cup final against the Blues at the forefront of his mind.
He benched the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes, while Cristiano Ronaldo was given the night off.
This allowed various fringe players to enjoy a rare start, and the image of these players receiving a guard of honour from Chelsea’s stars regularly pops up on social media.
But what happened to the 11 players who featured in that bizarre XI? Let’s find out…
Tomasz Kuszczak
Tomasz Kuszczak made a total of 61 appearances for the Red Devils before joining Brighton on a permanent deal in 2012. The Polish goalkeeper was a decent back-up at Old Trafford but lacked the quality required to cement his status as the club's number one.
“I didn’t get what I really wanted," Kuszczak admitted during an interview with Man Utd in 2022. "I wanted to be goalkeeper number one for Manchester United, but I respected that, because Edwin [van der Sar] was a fantastic goalkeeper.
“If I had to lose against someone, or be stopped from getting the number one, it would be by a guy like Edwin."
The 41-year-old went on to play for Wolves and Birmingham before retiring after his contract at St Andrew's wasn't renewed.
Kieran Lee
One of only three appearances the left-back made for Man Utd, Kieran Lee joined third-tier Oldham in 2008 before signing for Sheffield Wednesday four years later.
Now 35, Lee most recently plied his trade with Bolton Wanderers, but was released by the League One outfit this summer.
Wes Brown
Wes Brown was part of Man Utd's 2008 Champions League-winning team and remained at Old Trafford until 2011, when he moved to Sunderland.
The former defender, now 43, ended his career in 2018 following a brief stint with Kerala Blasters in India. Brown has dabbled in coaching and punditry since hanging up his boots.
He was also the former United player who conducted the club's Old Trafford interview with Cristiano Ronaldo when the Portuguese superstar completed his surprise return to Manchester in 2021.
John O'Shea
A model professional like the aforementioned Wes Brown, John O’Shea also moved to Sunderland from United in 2011.
He ended his playing career in 2019 following a season with Reading and then embarked on a career on coaching, first taking a job with the Royals before working with the Republic of Ireland's Under-21s between 2020-2023.
The 42-year-old - who scored a couple of priceless goals for Man Utd, including a famous late winner against Liverpool at Anfield towards the end of the 2006-07 campaign - is currently the Republic of Ireland's assistant manager.
Gabriel Heinze
Fell out with Ferguson after attempting to force a move to Liverpool, Gabriel Heinze went on to play for Real Madrid, Marseille, AS Roma and Newell’s Old Boys before retiring in 2014.
The 45-year-old then became a manager and has since coached Godoy Cruz, Argentinos Juniors, Velez Sarsfield and MLS side Atlanta United.
The Argentine is now in charge of Newell's - the club Lionel Messi famously supported as a youngster.
Chris Eagles
Rio Ferdinand revealed a couple of years ago that Roy Keane punched Chris Eagles during a training session, which may explain why he didn’t last very long at Old Trafford.
“I remember when Roy Keane punched up Chris Eagles one time,” Ferdinand told the VIBE with FIVE podcast, per the Daily Mail. “He (Eagles) was only [a] young kid, (taking) liberties. It was good for him Eagles.
“Roy must have been coming back from an injury, or he didn't play, and he was playing with the reserves and the youngsters that were in there like Eagles and Lee Martin were like rats, getting in close and trying to tackle.
“He went in late on Roy once or twice and Roy said to him, ‘Listen, slow down’. The ball comes in again, Eagles was trying to impress, trying to leave his mark and left a little bit on Roy again and pulled his jersey.
“Roy just turned round and went bang in the jaw. A quick short jab and I just stood there and went, ‘Roy, what's wrong with you?’.
“And I went inside and said, ‘Roy, why are you doing that for? He's a young kid man’. And I warned him.”
The former winger played 17 times for the Red Devils before moving to Burnley in 2008. He has since played for Bolton, Blackpool, Charlton, Bury, Accrington Stanley, Port Vale, Ross County and Oldham.
The 37-year-old last played professionally in January 2020 but will never forget his time working under Ferguson.
"Sir Alex had his certain players like me, Darren Fletcher and Kieran Richardson who he had soft spots for," Eagles told Ladbrokes in 2021. "If I was ever in trouble, he'd tell me off, though. I drove a car somewhere when I was 15 and Sir Alex found out about it and called me in his office. I was petrified.
"It's the worst experience ever because you don't know what he's going to do. I can remember standing outside of his office, sweating, going red.
"He used to have a folder where he used to keep his notes. It was a hard-back. Every time he walked past me he used to just slap me on the head with it – all in good humour, obviously.
"He was just a great manager, a great guy, and that's how he got his respect."
Alan Smith
Transformed from a centre-forward to midfield enforcer under Ferguson, Alan Smith's Man Utd career was sadly derailed by a terrible injury that he suffered during a FA Cup clash against Liverpool at Anfield in 2006.
The former England international, who went on to play for Newcastle, MK Dons and Notts County, sustained a broken leg and dislocated ankle after charging down a John Arne Riise free-kick.
In many ways, it was a minor miracle that he was able to continue his career. He still feels the effects of that horrific injury today.
Alan Smith leg break: Ex-Man Utd player still feels effects of injury v Liverpool in 2006
Smith now lives in Orlando, Florida, and works with youngsters as a coach at the XL Soccer World Academy. The Yorkshireman also enjoys a bit of surfing.
Darren Fletcher
Much-maligned during the early years of his career, Darren Fletcher stayed with United until 2015 and became a firm fan favourite during that time.
Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2008, the Scot missed a chunk of his career to the debilitating condition but bravely battled back and went on to play for West Brom and Stoke City before retiring in 2019.
Fletcher returned to Old Trafford after accepting the opportunity to become a first-team coach. He now works as the Red Devils' technical director.
Kieran Richardson
A talented youngster, Kieran Richardson blew hot and cold for United before joining Sunderland in 2007.
He became a born-again Christian around the same time, telling reporters: "I just want to praise Jesus Christ and go to heaven. That's all I care about”.
Richardson went on to play for Fulham, Aston Villa and Cardiff City but the 38-year-old has been without a club since leaving the Welsh outfit in 2016.
However, the former left-back has kept himself busy over the past seven years, collecting and selling luxury watches.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Whatever happened to this guy?
In case you’ve been living under a rock on the moon for the past five years, you'll be very aware that Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho as Man Utd manager in 2018 (a scenario nobody would have envisaged 11 years earlier).
While the Norwegian enjoyed some great moments during his three-year tenure, Solskjaer was relieved of his duties in 2021 after results and performance-levels spiralled.
Nevertheless, the Baby-Faced Assassin will always love United - and the fans will always love him.
Dong Fangzhuo
Ah, Dong. Nicknamed ‘The Chinese Rooney’ after signing for United in 2004, the Chelsea game was his only league appearance for the Red Devils.
Sad reports emerged several years ago - per the Daily Star and others - claiming Dong had undergone facial surgery on Chinese TV in an effort to stop the daily abuse he faced following his underwhelming football career.
It’s also been reported that United managed to get a full refund on the £500,000 they paid Dalian Shide for the centre-forward, who retired aged 2009 following spells in Poland, Portugal and Armenia.
Speaking in 2019, Dong cleared up the rumours about the plastic surgery, telling AFP: "I just did some simple make-up, If you say that I had plastic surgery, the way I am now is probably a plastic surgery failure."
During the same interview, Dong revealed that he now coaches children with special needs.
"I feel the purity of their eyes and their hearts," he said. "And although they may have some physical limitations, their kind of concentration, their seriousness... that passion actually moves me."
What a lovely guy.
