Manchester United legend Patrice Evra sent a heartfelt message to Red Devils supporters after celebrating the anniversary of the club’s last Champions League triumph.
Legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson lifted his second Champions League title with the Red Devils in 2008 in Moscow, Russia.
Sir Alex Ferguson had led his men to the final of the Champions League against Chelsea after they knocked Barcelona out in the semi-finals.
Chelsea, on the other hand, had defeated Premier League side Liverpool in the semi-finals and punched their ticket to the Champions League final.
United legend Cristiano Ronaldo had fired the club into the lead at the Luzhniki Stadium before Chelsea legend Frank Lampard scored an equaliser before half-time.
The Red Devils and Chelsea took the tie to extra time and neither side could break the deadlock, with penalties settling the 2008 Champions League final.
Carlos Tevez and Michael Carrick both converted from the spot-kick before Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and saw his penalty denied by Petr Cech.
Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole all scored from the penalty spot before John Terry slipped and missed his crucial penalty.
Nani, Anderson and Ryan Giggs scored from the spot-kick after John Terry’s penalty miss, with Kalou also finding the back of the net for Chelsea during the shootout.
However, United legend Edwin van der Sar ensured the win for the Red Devils after he denied Nicolas Anelka from the spot-kick with a superb save.
Evra on Man Utd and 2008 Champions League final
Patrice Evra played the entirety of the Champions League final in 2008, with Manchester United going on to lift the trophy under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 43-year-old Frenchman arrived at Old Trafford in the same window as fellow United legend Nemanja Vidic after he was signed from Monaco in 2006.
Evra enjoyed incredible success under Ferguson, including lifting five Premier League titles, a Champions League and three League Cups with United.
The former United left-back played for the Red Devils after Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 before leaving Old Trafford and signing for Juventus in 2014.
Evra took to Instagram and shared a heartwarming message with fans to mark the anniversary of United’s 2008 Champions League win.
However, the former Monaco and Juventus defender also reminded fans that a “brighter present and future” can be built “from the past.”
“On this day 16 years ago, May 21st 2008. You can’t live in the past but you can build from the past to have a brighter present and future,” Evra wrote.
Evra recalled Ferguson’s team talk for 2008 final
Evra has previously opened up about the 2008 Champions League final and how Ferguson’s team talk ahead of the match left him in complete awe.
Speaking in a piece for The Players’ Tribune in 2019, he said: “The panda reminds me of a speech that Ferguson gave us before our Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow in 2008.
“We were in the dressing room when the boss came in. As usual, the music stopped. You could hear a pin drop. Then Ferguson said, ‘I’ve already won.…’
“We looked at each other. He said, ‘I’ve already won. We don’t even need to play this game.’ We were like, ‘What is he talking about? The game hasn’t even started.’
“Then Ferguson turned to me. ‘Look at Patrice,’ he said. ‘He’s got 24 brothers and sisters. Imagine what his mother had to do to put food on the table.…’
“Then he turned to Wayne Rooney. ‘Look at Wayne. He grew up in one of the toughest parts of Liverpool.…’
“Then he turned to Park Ji-sung. Look at Ji, he’s come all the way from South Korea.…’
“As the boss talked about our stories, we began to realise that he was referring to a fellowship.
“We were not just a football team — we were people from every corner of the world, from all kinds of cultures and races and religions.
“And now we were there, together in a dressing room in Moscow, fighting for a common cause. Through football, we had become brothers.”
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