Where are they now? The 'f****** disgrace' of Chelsea's controversial 2009 UEFA Champions League semi-final exit to Barcelona

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Chelsea face Barcelona on Matchday Five of the UEFA Champions League, with the two old foes renewing a rivalry that came to a head in explosive fashion at the semi-final stage back in 2009. Refereeing controversy, denied penalties, a red card, and a dramatic finale lit up Stamford Bridge that unforgettable May evening. We looked at where players from both sides are now.

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This week sees Chelsea hosting Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League and it is a throwback to when, for a short while, this was one of European football’s most heated rivalries.

Between 2005 and 2012, the clubs met 10 times, with virtually every encounter creating a major talking point and more than a few controversies that permanently stick in the minds of those associated with both clubs.

But by far the most infamous of these matches took place on May 6, 2009, in the semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge.

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Their first leg meeting at the Camp Nou a week earlier had ended goalless, with Pep Guardiola’s side frustrated at the visitors’ dogged defensive display as well as one or two contentious refereeing decisions.

‘Disgrace!’

But if Barca were aggrieved after the first meeting, it was nothing compared to how Chelsea felt following the return match.

The Blues initially took a big step towards the final when Michael Essien’s stunning volley put them 1-0 up in the ninth minute.

The home side thought they should have had a penalty when Florent Malouda was hauled down by Dani Alves in the area, but referee Tom Henning Ovrebo instead awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box.

When Didier Drogba then went down under Eric Abidal’s challenge in the box, the Norwegian official decided to wave play on.

After sending off Abidal for a challenge on Nicolas Anelka in the second half, Ovrebo failed to award a penalty for a possible handball by Gerard Pique with 10 minutes to play.

With the clock ticking down, Chelsea were still on course to advance and face Manchester United in Rome until Andres Iniesta’s stunning 20-yard strike in the 90th minute levelled the tie and handed Barca the away goal advantage.

There was still time for more drama in stoppage time as Michael Ballack’s shot struck the arm of Samuel Eto’o but, once again, Ovrebo decided no offence was committed.

Full-time and Barca were through, going on to beat United to secure the treble in Guardiola’s debut season. The rest, as they say, is history.

Chelsea raged at the final whistle, with Drogba in particular taking his protests too far – turning to the TV cameras in a manic, wide-eyed frenzy to decry the controversy as "a f****** disgrace". He was banned for six matches by UEFA while the club received a hefty fine.

Chelsea XI

Chelsea team

Image credit: Getty Images

GK - Petr Cech

The Blues stopper was among many of this side to stay and get their much-deserved revenge over Barca in 2012 as Chelsea vanquished their rivals at the same stage of the competition en route to lifting the trophy that year in Munich – Cech himself saving a penalty in extra-time of the eventual shootout win over Bayern Munich.

After 11 years and multiple trophies with Chelsea, he moved across London to join Arsenal before retiring in 2019 and returning to Stamford Bridge as a technical director.

RB - Jose Bosingwa

After playing his final Chelsea match in that famous 2012 triumph, the Portuguese full-back joined QPR for a season, then spent three years at Trabzonspor before retiring.

CB - Alex

The Brazilian centre-back struggled to nail down a regular starting place and eventually departed in 2012 for Paris Saint-Germain before a move to AC Milan ahead of his 2016 retirement.

In 2022, he underwent heart bypass surgery.

CB - John Terry

Following his infamous Moscow slip and this dramatic defeat, there would be more Champions League heartache for the Blues captain after he was sent off against Barca in the second leg of the 2012 semi, ruling him out of the final - not that you would have have noticed, given he was famously front and centre of the celebrations in full kit.

After leading the club to further successes, Terry eventually left his boyhood club in 2017 for a year at Aston Villa, where he joined the coaching staff after retiring a year later.

He currently has a part-time role coaching at the Chelsea academy.

LB - Ashley Cole

Cole left Chelsea in 2014 and had spells at Roma, LA Galaxy and Derby County before retirement and moving into coaching.

The 107-cap former England international has had roles at Derby, Chelsea, Everton, Birmingham City as well as the Three Lions, both at under-21 and senior levels, and currently coaches at the FA.

CM - Michael Ballack

The German’s outstretched arms and snarling face as he pursued Ovrebo is one of the most iconic images from the match, but the smile was certainly back on his face a year later after helping the Blues to a Premier League and FA Cup double.

He would then leave the club that summer, making an emotional return to Bayer Leverkusen before retiring in 2012.

Ballack has a word with Ovrebo

Image credit: Getty Images

CM - Michael Essien

His would-be winning goal is often forgotten amid the chaos of the game.

Essien was another who stuck around to finally help the Blues land the trophy three years later before spells at Real Madrid, AC Milan and Panathinaikos, and then winding down his playing career in Indonesia and Azerbaijan.

Since 2022, the Ghanaian has been working at Danish club Nordsjælland where he is currently assistant manager.

CM - Frank Lampard

Chelsea's all-time top scorer left the club after 13 years in 2015, joining Premier League rivals Manchester City for a season before moving to City Football Group affiliate New York City FC and retiring in 2017.

Lampard has since moved into management, and been in the hotseat at Derby County, Chelsea, Everton as well as Coventry City, where he is currently employed.

RW - Nicolas Anelka

The Frenchman left the Blues at the start of 2012 for Shanghai Shenhua but was back in Europe a year later, signing for Juventus on loan before joining West Brom and then Mumbai City, even taking on a player-manager role at the Indian Super League club before departing after a year.

After retiring, Anelka had coaching roles at Roda JC and Lille, before being appointed sporting director of French side Hyeres, although that was short-lived on account of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.

He was also briefly president of Turkish side Umraniyespor in 2024 but resigned after just six months.

LW - Florent Malouda

After leaving Chelsea in 2013, Malouda featured for Trabzonspor, Metz, Delhi Dynamos, Wadi Degla in Egypt and FC Differdange in Luxembourg.

Earlier this year, the former winger became an army officer in the French Guiana citizen reserve.

ST - Didier Drogba

The striker’s frustration on the night was palpable but, like others, he would have his vengeance in 2012, netting the winner in the first leg of the semi against Barca at Stamford Bridge ahead of his heroics in the final in Munich.

He left the club a legend for spells in China and Turkey before an emotional return to London in 2014 for a season, ahead of a move to MLS to feature for Montreal Impact and then Phoenix Rising before retiring.

He is currently back at Chelsea as a tactical analyst.

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Subs: Hilario, Branislav Ivanovic, Franco Di Santo, John Obi Mikel, Salomon Kalou, Juliano Belletti, Michael Mancienne

Manager – Guus Hiddink

The Dutchman was actually only in temporary charge following the sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari months earlier and despite this loss, led the Blues to FA Cup success weeks later.

His next role was with the Turkish national team before spells with Anzhi Makhachkala, and his native Netherlands for a second spell.

Hiddink was back at Chelsea for another caretaker role in 2015/16, with his last roles in management coming with China’s under-21 side and Curacao before retiring in 2021.

Barcelona XI

Barcelona team

Image credit: Getty Images

GK - Victor Valdes

This would be the second of three Champions League winning campaigns before his planned departure in 2014.

An injury before leaving the club left him sidelined until he briefly joined Manchester United in 2015, and then Standard Liege.

He was back in England with Middlesbrough in 2016 but retired a year later and has since moved into management, taking charge at Spanish fourth-tier side Real Avila but resigning at the end of last season.

RB - Dani Alves

Remained at the club until 2016, before joining Juventus and then Paris Saint-Germain for two years and then returning to Brazil with Sao Paulo.

There was a short-lived return to Barcelona during the 2021/22 season, before a switch to his final club Pumas UNAM in Mexico.

Alves was convicted of rape and sexual assault in 2024, but the conviction was overturned the following year.

CB - Gerard Pique

Remaining at the Camp Nou until his 2022 retirement, the decorated defender was controversially sent off in his final match against Osasuna despite being on the bench as a substitute.

Pique, once famously married to pop star Shakira, spends his post-football career involved in several businesses, including Esports and fantasy football, as well as heading up the Kings League seven-aside football competition.

CB - Yaya Toure

Toure joined Manchester City in 2010, playing a key role in Premier League and domestic cup success. A falling out with Pep Guardiola saw him leave the Etihad for short spells with Olympiacos and Chinese side Qingdao Huanghai before hanging up his boots.

Toure also lifted the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with his native Ivory Coast and has since moved into coaching, with his most recent job as the assistant manager of the Saudi Arabia national team.

LB - Eric Abidal

Of all the perceived Chelsea injustices in the match, Barca and Abidal will argue that the Frenchman’s red card which saw him suspended for the final was actually among the harshest of decisions on the night.

The French defender was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2011, requiring a transplant the following year.

He briefly returned to action for the club before moving to Monaco and Olympiacos and retiring in 2014.

He was back at the Camp Nou as a sporting director in 2018 for two years and currently fills the same role at Al Wasl in the UAE.

CM - Sergio Busquets

The midfielder won every major trophy on offer multiple times during his 15 years at the Camp Nou before moving to MLS in 2023 to join Inter Miami, playing alongside more Barca alumni in Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba.

He confirmed in September that he would retire at the end of the MLS season.

CM - Xavi

Xavi would make 767 appearances for the club and win several honours before a move to Al Sadd in Qatar, eventually being appointed manager.

In 2021, he made a fairytale return to Barca in the dugout and led the club to La Liga glory in 2023.

However, he left the club in 2024 after falling out with the board.

CM - Seydou Keita

The Malian joined Chinese Super League side Dalian Aerbin in 2012 before returning to Europe with Valenica, and then Roma, eventually winding down his career at El Jaish in the Qatar Stars League.

LW - Andres Iniesta

The Barca hero on the night was also the hero for his country a year later when he scored the winner in the World Cup final as Spain lifted the trophy for the first time.

After leaving Barca in 2018, he spent six years in Japan with Vissel Kobe before joining UAE League club Emirates ahead of his retirement.

Iniesta celebrates

Image credit: Getty Images

RW - Lionel Messi

Messi headed home Barca’s decisive second goal in the final a month later as GOAT debates with Cristiano Ronaldo propelled themselves into every aspect of football discourse for evermore.

For his part, Messi would win 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies and eight Ballon d’Or crowns, all while scoring a not insignificant 672 goals in Barca colours before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

After two years in Paris – and a historic World Cup win with Argentina for good measure in 2022 - he crossed the Atlantic to join Inter Miami where he still wows crowds to this day.

ST - Samuel Eto’o

Barca’s other goalscorer in Rome a few weeks later, Eto’o was not seen as part of Guardiola’s plans beyond that triumph and was part of a swap deal involving Inter’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic that summer.

Eto’o had the last laugh, however, as he helped Inter win the competition the following year, beating Barcelona (and scoring against Chelsea in the knockouts) en route to glory.

He then moved to Russia’s Anzhi Makhachkala before briefly joining Chelsea and then Everton ahead of a return to Serie A with Sampdoria.

Antalyaspor in Turkey followed, including a short stint as interim player-manager, before finishing his career with short spells at Konyaspor and Qatar SC.

He is currently president of the Cameroon Football Federation.

Subs: Jose Manuel Pinto, Martin Caceres, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Bojan Krkic, Sylvinho, Alexander Hleb, Pedro

Manager – Pep Guardiola

It is incredible to think that this was actually Guardiola's first season in a senior manager's role.

Guardiola finished his debut season with the treble and added two more La Liga titles as well as another Champions League crown before his 2012 departure.

Three successive league titles with Bayern followed before his latest role at Manchester City where he has won the Premier League six times to date and collected his third Champions League crown in 2023, again as part of another treble.

Highlights: Chaos at Club Brugge as Barca escape with a point

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Chelsea v Barcelona complete head-to-head

27 Apr 1966	Barcelona 2-0 Chelsea	Fairs Cup semi-final first leg
11 May 1966	Chelsea 2-0 Barcelona	Fairs Cup semi-final second leg
25 May 1966	Barcelona 5-0 Chelsea	Fairs Cup semi-final replay
05 Apr 2000	Chelsea 3-1 Barcelona	UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg
18 Apr 2000	Barcelona 5-1 Chelsea	UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg
23 Feb 2005	Barcelona 2-1 Chelsea	UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg
08 Mar 2005	Chelsea 4-2 Barcelona	UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg
22 Feb 2006	Chelsea 1-2 Barcelona	UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg
07 Mar 2006	Barcelona 1-1 Chelsea	UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg
18 Oct 2006	Chelsea 1-0 Barcelona	UEFA Champions League group stage
31 Oct 2006	Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea	UEFA Champions League group stage
28 Apr 2009	Barcelona 0-0 Chelsea	UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg
06 May 2009	Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona	UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg
18 Apr 2012	Chelsea 1-0 Barcelona	UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg
24 Apr 2012	Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea	UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg
20 Feb 2018	Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona	UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg
14 Mar 2018	Barcelona 3-0 Chelsea	UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg

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