Tottenham 2008 League Cup winners – Where are they now?
It has now been more than 16 years since Tottenham Hotspur last won a trophy, so let’s take a look at the League Cup-winning side of 2008 and see where they are right now.
Spurs beat Chelsea to lift the trophy in 2008
On the 24th February 2008, Spurs and Chelsea faced each other at Wembley, in the first League Cup final to be held at the then-new stadium.
Spurs made it all the way to the final after defeating Middlesbrough, Blackpool, Manchester City, and London rivals Arsenal in the previous rounds.
On the day, Chelsea took the lead in the first half thanks to a goal from Didier Drogba. The Lilywhites pulled level with a Dimitar Berbatov penalty, and then, in the dying moments, a header by Jonathan Woodgate sealed the victory for Juande Ramos’ team.
Where are the players now?
Here, we look at the starting XI from that glorious Tottenham league cup day, and see what they are up to since their playing career ended.
Paul Robinson
The iconic Spurs goalkeeper actually left the club in the summer of 2008 to join Blackburn Rovers. He stayed there for seven years, and later spent a short time with Burnley before retiring in 2017. Robinson now largely works as a pundit across several publications and makes appearances on sports broadcasts.
Alan Hutton
Hutton played for various other clubs post-Spurs, including Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Bolton, and Mallorca. The Scotsman retired in 2020 and is now a pundit, who writes for Football Insider on a regular basis.
Ledley King
Ledley King is a bonafide Spurs legend. He only ever played for the club, developing through the academy, making over 300 appearances, and eventually retiring in 2012. He was skipper on the day Spurs won the cup, and has since operated as a coach at the club, but now holds an ambassadorial role.
Jonathan Woodgate
Tottenham’s match-winner on the day in 2008. The centre-half left Spurs in 2011 to join Stoke City, and later rejoined Middlesbrough a year later. He retired there in 2016, and has gone on to take up a coaching role with the North East side, working under Michael Carrick.
Pascal Chimbonda
Pascal Chimbonda was a cult hero and one of Tottenham’s most revered Barclaysmen. His career saw him play for multiple clubs after his time at White Hart Lane, including Sunderland, Blackburn, QPR, and also spending time in Portugal and France. At the age of 45, he is actually still playing football, as a player-coach at Skelmersdale in the North West Counties League Division.
Aaron Lennon
The former Tottenham winger stayed at the club for years after that League Cup win, before joining Everton in 2015. He later turned out for Burnley, Turkish outfit Kayserispor, and then went back to Burnley where he retired in 2022. Lennon is now working with his boyhood club Leeds United as a coach.
Jermaine Jenas
Jenas left Spurs in 2011 to join Aston Villa on loan, and then returned to his boyhood club, Nottingham Forest, on loan in 2012. He played for QPR from 2013 to 2014 before retiring and taking up a career in sports broadcasting, working for the BBC on Match of the Day, and also hosting the One Show.
Didier Zokora
Another real journeyman of the game, Didier Zokora played for 12 clubs in his career, with stints at Sevilla, Trabzonspor, and Indian outfit Pune City, before retiring in 2017. Zokora has taken up a career in coaching since, and is now assistant manager at Ivory Coast club AFAD Djékanou.
Steed Malbranque
Steed Malbranque left Spurs in the summer of 2008 to join Sunderland. He later played for Saint-Etienne before taking a career break for a year. In fact, Malbranque took a few career breaks, but kept coming out of retirement to turn out for Lyon, MDA Chasselay, and FC Limonest. He finally retired for good in 2021.
Robbie Keane
The prolific Robbie Keane left for Liverpool shortly after the League Cup win, but returned to White Hart Lane the following year. He would later play for Celtic, West Ham, LA Galaxy, and Aston Villa before taking up a career in coaching. The Irishman was manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv until this summer.
Dimitar Berbatov
Dimitar Berbatov joined Manchester United in September 2008 and excelled with the Red Devils. He later played for Fulham, Monaca, PAOK Salonika, and retired at Indian side Kerala Blasters in 2018. He has since appeared on various sports broadcasts, but is primarily looking to change the way Bulgarian football works from the top down.
For more on Spurs players of old, check out the list of the club’s all-time top goalscorers, Tottenham’s record assist-makers, and the players who have made the most appearances for Spurs.
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