sport news Chelsea v Liverpool: Where are the 2012 FA Cup final players now? trends now

Liverpool face Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup final showdown and the Reds will be out for revenge. 

The Wembley clash is a rematch of the 2012 FA Cup final which saw the west London side emerge victorious in 2-1 win. 

Goals from Ramires and Didier Drogba either side of half-time handed the Blues the lead before Liverpool flop Andy Carroll clawed one back in the 64th minute after coming off the bench to replace Jay Spearing. 

While a number of big names from the 2012 sides are still in football's conscious, others have ventured down slightly different paths. 

From tattoo artists to lip sync battle extraordinaires, Liverpool and Chelsea's stars have discovered a variety of ways to keep themselves busy. 

Here Sportsmail takes a look at where the class of 2012 are now as the two sides prepare to face each other once again.  

LIVERPOOL 

Pepe Reina 

The former Liverpool shot-stopper may have been unable to stop Chelsea back in 2012 but it certainly hasn't held back his career. 

The Spaniard is still plying his trade at age 39 for Serie A side Lazio, making 17 appearances for the Italian side this season but hasn't featured in the league since February. 

Reina left the Reds two seasons after the FA Cup defeat to join Bayern Munich but spent just one season with the Germans before stints at Napoli and AC Milan with a brief return to England on a loan deal to Aston Villa sandwiched in between. 

Glen Johnson 

Johnson hung up his boots at the end of the 2017-18 season after getting released by recently relegated Stoke City. 

Since retiring, the former full back has been able to devote more time to being CEO of the property company he set up with his brother during his playing days. 

He has also founded an investment company called Bed Of Honey, with has stakes in real estate, wine and fine art. 

He has also popped up on fans' television screens doing media work for beIN Sports, talkSPORT and Sky Sports. 

Martin Skrtel

The Slovak had been a stalwart of the Liverpool backline for eight seasons at Anfield before eventually calling time on his career on Merseyside, leaving for Turkish side Fenerbahce in 2016. 

After becoming a free agent in January 2021, Skrtel signed for first tier Slovak side Spartak Trnava in August last year. 

The defender has made 19 appearances this season as the club finished second in the Fortuna Liga. 

Daniel Agger

Daniel Agger has led an eventful life since leaving Anfield. He retired in 2016 at just 31, after two seasons back at Brondby, and has managed to keep himself busy.

In 2013, Agger, set up a new sewage management business alongside his younger brother, Marco, called KloAgger, which reportedly made gross profits of £1.77 million in 2019.

It is no secret the Dane loves tattoos, having seemingly covered every inch of his body in them and shortly after retiring he took his passion one step further.

Agger invested in a tattoo company called tattoodo and even became a qualified tattoo artist himself.

After a period away from football, Agger got his first job back in the game in 2021 as he was appointed head coach of Danish 1st Division club HB Køge

Jose Enrique

The Spaniard struggled with a bad knee injury towards the end of his Anfield career which forced him to take painkillers and train intermittently before leaving Liverpool in 2016. 

Enrique joined Real Zaragoza as a free agent back in Spain in September 2016 but sadly suffered from a brain tumour and moved to Paris for his treatment.

After beating cancer, the former full back is juggling a career as a football agent with launching his business Amplified Coaching Online alongside fitness coach Steve Butler.

He still keeps close tabs on his former side, regularly taking to Twitter or TikTok to voice his opinions on the Reds. 

Jordan Henderson 

The only member of the 2012 side still at Anfield, you could say Henderson has done pretty well for himself. 

Henderson endured a difficult start to life at Liverpool following his £20million move from Sunderland, often facing criticism for his displays. 

But the midfielder broke out from under Steven Gerrard's shadow when he took over the captaincy following the club legend's departure in 2015. 

Since then, Henderson has led Liverpool to Champions League, Premier League and Club World Cup titles, with his trophy-lift shuffle becoming iconic among the fanbase.  

Jay Spearing 

Spearing was a shock inclusion in the starting line up to face Chelsea after struggling to establish himself in the side throughout the season and lasted 54 minutes before being hauled off for goalscorer Andy Carroll.  

The midfielder came through the Liverpool academy under the guidance of Steve Heighway but left the club on a £1.44m move to Bolton just one season after the Reds' FA Cup defeat. 

Now 33, Spearing is still local playing at League Two side Tranmere Rovers after joining the Wirral-based club in 2020.

Stewart Downing

Downing had stints at West Ham and Middlesbrough following his two seasons at Anfield before he joined in Blackburn Rovers in 2019.

He finished his career at Rovers, with him spending the last couple of years playing at Ewood Park.

He made over 50 league appearances for the club but decided to call it quits last August, with him announcing his retirement at the age of 37.

Steven Gerrard

Forever ingrained in Anfield folklore as a club legend, Gerrard is still knocking about the Premier League but in a slightly different setting. 

After hanging up his boots, the former Liverpool captain couldn't bring himself to leave the dressing room as he turned his hand to management.

He started out coaching Liverpool Academy's under-18 team, before taking his first senior managerial job at Rangers in 2018. 

The former midfielder led the Scottish side to their first league title in 2020-21 before making the leap to the Premier League, taking charge at Aston Villa last November.  

Craig Bellamy

The Welshman had two stints at Anfield, the first lasting just one season before he made the move to West Ham and returned at the start of the 2011-12 campaign for his second - just in time for Liverpool's FA Cup charge. 

His second spell also lasted just one season as he moved to Cardiff at the end of the term before retiring in 2014. 

He has since Cardiff's youth side and Anderlecht's Under-21s before becoming an assistant manager at the Belgian side, but is currently not at a club. 

Luis Suarez

Perhaps the most prolific member of this 2012 side, Suarez left quite the impression during his three and a half years on Merseyside.

Branded a madman by some and hailed as a genius by others the Uruguayan was beloved by the Kop. 

But the forward's time at Anfield ended when he sealed his dream move to Barcelona in 2014. 

His return to Anfield was not exactly enjoyable as his Barcelona side fell victim to Liverpool's incredible comeback victory in the Champions League semi-final in 2019. 

After six years at the Nou Camp, the Catalan giants off loaded the 35-year-old to Atletico Madrid where he established himself as a key member of Diego Simeone's side. 

Andy Carroll

Carroll scored just ten minutes after coming off the bench to claw one back for Liverpool and a Petr Cech wonder save stopped him from equalising moments later. 

How different his Anfield career might have been should he have hauled Liverpool level that day.

Liverpool broke the British transfer record by paying £35 million for the forward but he ultimately ended up scoring fewer league goals in the whole of his Reds career than he had in the first

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