The Rangers team which started the 2008 UEFA Cup final in Manchester.The Rangers team which started the 2008 UEFA Cup final in Manchester.
The Rangers team which started the 2008 UEFA Cup final in Manchester.

Rangers 2008 UEFA Cup Final XI - where are they now ahead of Europa League final?

14 years on from their last European final, two members of Walter Smith’s 2007/08 squad are set to play in another contental final this week

Given Rangers off-field troubles back in 2012, Rangers fans wouldn’t have believed their team would reach another European final in the space of 14 years.

Manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his players have booked their date with destiny against Eintrahct Frankfurt in sunny Seville on Wednesday night.

While the competition is now called the Europa League, the Ibrox club fell at the final hurdle in its previous incarnation as the UEFA Cup.

Following the high of their penalty shoot-out triumph over a Fiorentina side full of experienced internationalists in the semi-finals, the Gers were brought crashing back down to earth as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Russian giants Zenit St. Petersburg in Manchester.

Two members of Walter Smith’s squad (Allan McGregor and Steven Davis) are remarkably set to feature at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium this week.

The current crop of players will hope they can honour Smith, who passed away last year, and legendary kitman Jimmy Bell by lifiting the iconic trophy in the Andalusian capital.

GlasgowWorld looks at the starting XI that night in 2008 and where their careers have subsequently taken them:

UNUSED: Graeme Smith (GK), Christian Dailly, Charlie Adam, Amdy Faye

NOT IN SQUAD: Allan McGregor (GK), Roy Carroll (GK), Alan Hutton, Thomas Buffel, Ugo Ehiogu, Alan Gow, Chris Burke, Ian Murray, Steven Naismith, DaMarcus Beasley, Andy Webster, Filip Sebo, Steven Smith, Daniel Cousin, Paul Emslie, Dean Furman, John Fleck

While the competition is now called the Europa League, the Ibrox club fell at the final hurdle in its previous incarnation as the UEFA Cup.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.