England U21s have reached the final of the European Under-21 Championship for the first time in 14 years, where they face Spain for a shot at youth tournament glory.
Manager Lee Carsley hopes the result will be more like the 1984 final – the last time England won the tournament. In 2009, a German side, including Manuel Neuer, Mesut Özil, Mats Hummels, Sami Khedira and Jerome Boateng, swept England aside 4-0 in the final in Malmö.
But where are the members of that England U21 squad that reached the final in 2009 now? FourFourTwo took a look…
GK: Scott Loach
England’s goalkeeper in the final against Germany was Scott Loach, who is currently a professional footballer at Derby County. The 35-year-old has enjoyed a prolific career under the Premier League, making over 500 appearances in his time as a professional.
His best spell came at Watford in the Championship, where he started the majority of his games in goal for the Hornets between 2008 and 2012. More recently, Loach has played for Chesterfield, Barnet and Hartlepool in the National League, but earned a move to Derby at the start of the 2022/23 season.
While he didn’t make one appearance for the Rams last season, Loach will remain at Pride Park for the 2023/24 season.
RB: Martin Cranie
Cranie retired from football in 2021, with Luton Town the last club he played for. The full-back played most of his career in the Championship and was promoted to the Premier League twice, with Huddersfield and Sheffield United respectively.
However, he has not yet officially announced his retirement from football and has been a free agent for the past two years.
CB: Micah Richards
Ah, Big Meeks. You don’t need us to tell you what Micah Richards is doing. Everyone’s beloved expert often fills our TV screens week after week with his contagious laugh and tactical acumen – and may it be long, many will say (maybe not Roy Keane…). Sky Sports, BBC and US network CBS are all regularly blessed with Richards’ presence.
After a spell in Italy with Fiorentina and a return to England with Aston Villa, he retired from professional football at the age of 31, having suffered another knee injury.
CB: Nedum Onuoha
Richards’ Manchester City teammate at the time, Onuoha, went on to play for Sunderland (on loan), QPR and MLS side Real Salt Lake after leaving his boyhood club. He retired from the game in 2020 and has since moved on in a number of different ventures.
The former centre-back has been appointed as a trustee on the City in the Community board, a charity set up by Manchester City to support people in the Greater Manchester region through football. He also has his own podcast called ‘Kickback with Nedum‘, where he discusses a range of different topics. Onuoha also appears on ESPN as a pundit.
LB: Kieran Gibbs
The former Arsenal man last played for Inter Miami in the MLS but mutually agreed to terminate his contract with the club in February 2023. At just 33 years old, Gibbs immediately transitioned into broadcasting for Inter Miami’s Apple TV channel.
Living life in Florida, Gibbs’ job will be made a little easier with the imminent arrival of Lionel Messi…
CM: Fabrice Muamba
Muamba unfortunately had to retire from football in August 2012, just three years after the U21 final against Germany, after suffering cardiac arrest while playing for Bolton against Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
Following his forced retirement, Muamba has held a number of different jobs in the decade since, such as part of ITV’s coverage for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, while graduating with honors from Staffordshire University in 2015 after completing a BA in sports journalism.
However, now Muamba is an academy coach at Bolton. He completed his coaching badges with Manchester City, Stoke City and Rochdale before returning to Bolton in 2022.
CM: Lee Cattermole
Cattermole, notoriously good at racking up bookings, has calmed down in retirement while competing in competitive golf tournaments. Indeed, in June, Cattermole picked up his clubs to play in the International Series qualifying tournament.
For the past three years, since he retired from his playing career at VVV-Venlo in the Netherlands, Cattermole also studies and works as a coach. Most recently he was Middlesbrough U18 boss, although he left that role in February to pursue other jobs in senior football.
CM: Mark Noble
West Ham stalwart Mark Noble didn’t retire until the end of the 2021/22 season, but he has remained at the club he calls home since childhood, working as a sporting director. Noble was appointed to this position in January 2023 and is directly involved in the development side of the club.
“I still put on my boots and train with the Under-18s and the U21s because you don’t know firsthand what they are like until you train with them,” Noble said. Standard sports.
RW: James Milner
Milner, by far the team’s most successful player, has three Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy to his credit, and he’s still playing at the ripe old age of 37.
Having left Liverpool following the conclusion of his contract, Milner joined Brighton on a one-year contract, with the option to extend for a further year. The man just won’t stop.
LW: Adam Johnson
Johnson went on to earn 12 senior England caps and make 73 appearances for Manchester City, winning the Premier League and FA Cup. He also made 122 appearances for Sunderland.
On March 24, 2016, Johnson was sentenced to six years in prison for grooming and having sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl. He was released on March 22, 2019, having served half of his sentence.
He has not played professional football since his imprisonment.
ST: Theo Walcott
Walcott’s career hasn’t quite turned out the way Sven-Göran Eriksson thought it might in 2006, but the speed demon has enjoyed a stellar career nonetheless.
Most recently with Southampton from his youth, which he left for Arsenal in 2006 aged just 16, Walcott also spent a three-year spell at Merseyside at Everton and more than a decade before that at Arsenal. The 34-year-old is still playing, and Reading in League One are reportedly on the verge of tying him to a contract.
More stories
England U21 vs Spain U21 live stream, match preview and kick-off time for Under-21 euro final
‘It’s about writing our own history’: FourFourTwo spoke exclusively with England manager Lee Carsley ahead of the under-21 euros
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