Where are they now?
Real Madrid are currently preparing for their fourth Champions League final in five seasons, but between the mid-1960s and 1998 the Spanish giants failed in their pursuit of Europe's premier prize.Twenty years ago this month, they finally got their hands on the trophy once again, beating Juventus 1-0 in Amsterdam. But what became of those who ended Madrid's European drought?
Goalkeeper: Bodo Illgner
Illgner had already spent a decade in between the posts for Koln when he arrived at Madrid in 1996. A cool and composed leader from the back, he seldom ran off his line to foil counters or claim crosses but always positioned himself astutely, which helped him win back the No.1 jersey from Santiago Canizares before the Champions League Final.
Right-back: Christian Panucci
Panucci ultimately lost his place in the Madrid side to a player who went on to become a legend at the club – Michel Salgado – and his legacy has become somewhat clouded because of it. Yet he started the Champions League Final in 1998, adding a second winner's medal to his collection having already triumphed with Milan four years earlier.
Since retiring in 2010, Panucci has turned his hand to coaching. He worked as Russia's assistant manager for two years and then took charge of Livorno, before returning to the international game as head coach of Albania.
Centre-back: Fernando Hierro
Hierro spent 14 years as a player at the Bernabeu, picking up five league titles, three Champions Leagues and a host of other trophies, before returning as an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti after calling time on his playing career.
As well as that role, Hierro spent a year as Malaga's director of football in 2011 and later rook charge of Real Oviedo, whom he left after failing to win promotion in 2016-17.
Centre-back: Manuel Sanchis
Sanchis was one of the Quinta del Buitre - one of the five homegrown players that played for Real Madrid as they dominated Spanish football in the 1980s – and the only one who played his entire career with los Merengues.
By the time the 1998 final came around, Sanchis was a 33-year-old sweeper whose tactical nous and positional brilliance complemented Fernando Hierro’s more robust style of play. These days he spends his time working as a coach in youth football.
Central midfield: Fernando Redondo
Argentina international Redondo was every bit as dominant in midfield as Fernando Hierro was at the back - but in a completely different way. Hierro was Madrid’s hard man, dominating physically through ferocious tackling and intimidation; Redondo, conversely, was a player of unrivalled elegance whose touch, passing and composure aided all those around him.
Attacking midfield: Christian Karembeu
Karambeu enjoyed a brilliant playing career, winning virtually everything there was to win at club and international level. A complete midfielder, the Frenchman was both physically and technically gifted, with his accomplished passing and robust tackling making him a fundamental part of this Madrid side.
Attacking midfield: Clarence Seedorf
Seedorf remains the only footballer in the history of the game to win the Champions League with three different clubs: Ajax, Madrid and Milan. In Jupp Heynckes' 4-3-3 formation, it was the Dutchman who often provided the killer pass for the three strikers ahead of him.
Striker: Predrag Mijatovic
The Montenegrin striker played for Madrid for three seasons, scoring the only goal of the 1998 final against Juventus. He left the Bernabeu in 1999, playing a few more seasons in Italy and Spain before hanging up his boots.
Mijatovic worked as Madrid’s director of football for three seasons between 2006 until 2009, before taking up a coaching position in the club's youth ranks. He was appointed as manager of Fuenlabrada in 2015 but was sacked a few months later after failing to guide the side into promotion contention.
Striker: Fernando Morientes
Morientes scored 99 goals in eight years with Madrid, winning two La Liga titles and the Champions League three times - in 1998, 2000 and 2002. After a loan stint at Monaco, the striker left the Spanish capital on a permanent basis in 2005, joining Liverpool for a season before spells at Valencia and Marseille.
Striker: Raul
Like long-time strike partner Fernando Morientes, Raul played in and won three Champions League finals with Madrid. The Spaniard spent 16 seasons at the Bernabeu, notching 323 goals in 741 matches to become the club's all-time top scorer (a record now held by Cristiano Ronaldo).
Raul left Madrid in 2010 to play for German club Schalke, then spent two years in Qatar with Al Sadd before one final campaign for the North American Soccer League's New York Cosmos.
Sub: Davor Suker
The Croatian striker had to wait until the final minute of the 1998 Champions League Final to get on the pitch, but he was often a key figure during his three years with the club. Suker went on to shine at that summer's World Cup, finishing as the tournament's top scorer as his country reached the semi-finals.
Suker still appears in charity games and is the president of the Croatian Football Association. His lofty political position hasn’t stopped him from being involved in a string of controversies, though, with the Croatian Journalists’ Federation recently accusing Suker of preventing reporters from doing their job.
Sub: Jose Emilio Amavisca
Amavisca came on as a last-minute substitute for Raul in the 1998 Champions League Final in what turned out to be the pinnacle of his Madrid career. He scored 13 goals in his four seasons at the Bernabeu, 10 of which came in his debut campaign following a move from Valladolid.
