When England take on Greece on Thursday night it will inevitably evoke memories of one of the standout non-tournament moments in the Three Lions’ history.
David Beckham’s superb free-kick in the 93rd minute at Old Trafford on October 6 2001 saw England secure a 2-2 draw against Greece and earn their place at the 2002 World Cup as they avoided a play-off against Ukraine.
Although Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side were ultimately knocked out in the quarter-finals in 2002, Beckham’s free-kick against Greece has gone down in folklore.
On Thursday night Lee Carsley’s side take on Greece in the Nations League at Wembley in what is set to be a rather more low-key affair.
The England side from the game in 2001 contained many famous names, but where are they now?
England’s game against Greece will evoke memories of David Beckham’s free-kick in 2001
Teddy Sheringham was the other English name on the scoresheet after he put away a header
England at Old Trafford booked qualification to the 2004 World Cup after the draw at home
Nigel Martyn
Martyn was capped 23 times by England but was the second choice goalkeeper for the Three Lions at the 2002 World Cup behind David Seaman.
He retired in 2006 after a career that included spells at Crystal Palace, Leeds and Everton. Martyn’s move from Bristol Rovers to Palace in 1989 saw him become the first £1million goalkeeper in English football.
Shortly after retiring he spent time as a goalkeeping coach at Bradford City but he has largely kept out of the limelight since then. His son, Thomas, is an opera singer.
Ex-Leeds goalkeeper Nigel Martyn has largely remained out of the limelight since retiring
Gary Neville
While Martyn has kept a low profile since retirement, the same certainly can’t be said for Gary Neville.
Former Manchester United star Neville has become one of the most prominent pundits due to his work on Sky Sports and is also a co-owner of Salford City along with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Phil Neville and Beckham.
Neville had a brief spell as manager of Valencia in the 2015-16 season that didn’t go to plan but he has been incredibly successful with his ventures off the field, including The Overlap podcast and a hotel overlooking Old Trafford, while he also made an appearance on Dragons’ Den.
Gary Neville celebrated the draw at his club’s stadium with his then-team-mate Beckham
Neville is a now major pundit for Sky Sports and also has successful business ventures
Rio Ferdinand
Ferdinand enjoyed an illustrious career, much of which was spent at United, while he was capped by England on 81 occasions.
The former centre-back has also become a successful pundit, featuring prominently on TNT Sports.
In addition, his channel ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ on YouTube has over a million subscribers. He also has own ‘Five’ clothing brand.
Rio Ferdinand provides punditry for TNT Sports and also has his own YouTube channel
Martin Keown
An Arsenal legend, Keown worked on his coaching badges with the Gunners in the 2005-06 season when the club reached the Champions League final.
Keown has subsequently become a pundit, working for BBC Sport.
He has a column for Mail Sport in which he debates the key issues in football.
Martin Keown is another ex-star who has moved into punditry and he also has a MailOnline column
The Arsenal legend was pictured celebrating with Teddy Sheringham after he netted in the tie
Ashley Cole
England’s most-capped full-back with 107 appearances for his country, Cole is the only Three Lions player from the 2001 fixture who will also be involved in tonight’s game.
Along with fellow former England international Joleon Lescott, Cole is currently assistant to interim boss Carsley.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea star Cole previously worked with Carsley for England Under-21s and was a coach at Derby, Everton, Chelsea and Birmingham.
Ashley Cole will be in the dugout at Wembley tonight as assistant coach for England
David Beckham
The scorer of that famous goal in 2001, Beckham remains a global icon and is now the president and co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami.
Beckham played a key part in getting Lionel Messi to sign for Inter Miami, while he is also a co-owner of Salford City.
The former winger still has plenty of brand deals, including a lifetime contract with Adidas. His marriage to Spice Girl Victoria still attracts much media attention.
Beckham remains a global icon and is the president and co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami
Steven Gerrard
Liverpool legend Gerrard has featured as a pundit since retiring but has mainly focused on his managerial career.
After starting out by coaching at Liverpool’s academy, he had spells in charge of Rangers and Aston Villa and is currently the manager of Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq.
So far, Gerrard has won 17, drawn 13 and lost 13 of his 43 matches in charge of Al-Ettifaq.
Steven Gerrard was a rising star in the England set-up when he travelled to the rival ground
Currently Gerrard is manager of Al-Ettifaq after spells in charge of Rangers and Aston Villa
Paul Scholes
After two spells at Manchester United in his playing career, Scholes was part of the group of former United players that invested in Salford City.
He had one game as Salford caretaker boss in January 2015 and returned as interim manager for a five-game spell in 2020. In between those stints Scholes managed Oldham in 2019 but won just one out of his seven games in charge.
Scholes has also featured as a pundit, often appearing on TNT Sports.
Paul Scholes had a front-row seat to his club team-mate’s exquisite freekick on the day
Former defender Scholes often does punditry work and had a spell as manager of Oldham
Nick Barmby
Barmby played 23 times for England and had a lengthy club career that included spells at Tottenham, Everton and Liverpool.
He finished playing at Hull, who he later managed. Barmby also had a spell as part of the Scunthorpe United coaching staff.
Barmby was inducted into the Hull hall of fame earlier this year. His son Jack previously played for Manchester United’s academy.
Nick Barmby, who earned 23 England caps, was inducted into the Hull hall of fame this year
Robbie Fowler
Fowler scored seven goals in 26 games for England at a time when there was significant competition for places up front.
His first coaching job was as manager of Muangthong United in the 2011-12 campaign, and more recently he has had spells in charge of Brisbane Roar, East Bengal and Al-Qadsiah.
Fowler has often featured in golf events for charity.
Robbie Fowler, who played 26 times for England, has had spells as a manager of various clubs
Emile Heskey
A former team-mate of Fowler’s at Liverpool, Heskey is now the head of football development for Leicester City women, having previously had a spell as interim coach of the team.
Earlier this year Heskey was ordered to pay a bill for legal fees of almost £200,000 after a lengthy dispute with HMRC regarding an unpaid tax bill which dated back to 2019.
Heskey’s sons Jaden and Regan both play for Manchester City at youth level.
Emile Heskey is now the head of football development for Leicester City women
The former Liverpool man would go on to earn 62 caps and score seven goals for his country
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