Where are England’s stars now after the famous 2-2 draw against Greece in 2001? Many are in the studio or in management, one is a columnist at MailSport – and one will be in the dugout tonight

When England play Greece on Thursday evening it will inevitably bring back memories of one of the standout non-tournament moments in the Three Lions’ history.

David Beckham’s brilliant 93rd minute free-kick at Old Trafford on 6 October 2001 saw England secure a 2–2 draw against Greece and earn their place in the 2002 World Cup as they avoided a play-off against Ukraine.

Although Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side were ultimately eliminated in the 2002 quarter-finals, Beckham’s free-kick against Greece has gone down in folklore.

Lee Carsley’s side will take on Greece in the Nations League at Wembley on Thursday evening in what looks set to be a quieter affair.

The 2001 England side of the game featured many household names, but where are they now?

England’s match against Greece will bring back memories of David Beckham’s free-kick in 2001

Teddy Sheringham was the other English name on the scoresheet after throwing away a header

England qualified for the 2004 World Cup at Old Trafford after the draw at home

Nigel Martijn

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 £1 million goalkeeper in English football.

Shortly after retiring, he spent time as a goalkeeping coach at Bradford City, but has largely stayed out of the spotlight since. His son, Thomas, is an opera singer.

Ex-Leeds goalkeeper Nigel Martyn has largely stayed out of the spotlight since his retirement

Gary Neville

Although Martyn has kept a low profile since his retirement, the same certainly cannot be said for Gary Neville.

Former Manchester United star Neville has become one of the most prominent pundits thanks to his work at Sky Sports and is also co-owner of Salford City, along with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Phil Neville and Beckham.

Neville had a brief spell as Valencia manager in the 2015/2016 season, which didn’t go to plan, but he has been incredibly successful with his off-field ventures, including The Overlap podcast and a hotel overlooking Old Trafford, while he also made an appearance in Dragons’ Den.

Gary Neville celebrated the draw at his club’s stadium with his then teammate Beckham

Neville is now a key 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 being capped 81 times by England.

The former central defender has also become a successful pundit, prominently featured on TNT Sports.

Moreover, his channel ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ on YouTube has more than one million subscribers. He also has his own clothing brand ‘Five’.

Rio Ferdinand provides expertise for TNT Sports and also has his own YouTube channel

Martin Keown

Keown, an Arsenal legend, 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 and works for BBC Sport.

He has a column for Mail Sport where he debates the biggest issues in football.

Martin Keown is another ex-star who has made the switch to science and he also has a MailOnline column

The Arsenal legend celebrated with Teddy Sheringham after scoring the tie

Ashley Cole

Cole is England’s most capable full-back with 107 appearances for his country and the only Three Lions player from the 2001 game who will also be involved in tonight’s match.

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 coached at Derby, Everton, Chelsea and Birmingham.

Ashley Cole will be in the dugout at Wembley tonight as assistant coach for England

David Beckham

Beckham, the scorer of that famous goal in 2001, remains a global icon and is now president and co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami.

Beckham played a key role in getting Lionel Messi to sign for Inter Miami, while he is also co-owner of Salford City.

The former winger still has many brand deals, including a lifetime contract with Adidas. His marriage to Spice Girl Victoria still attracts a lot of media attention.

Beckham remains a global icon and is the president and co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami

Steven Gerard

Liverpool legend Gerrard has been a pundit since his retirement but has mainly focused on his managerial career.

After starting as a coach at Liverpool’s academy, he had spells in charge of Rangers and Aston Villa and is currently the manager of Saudi Pro League club 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 squad when he traveled to the rival ground

Gerrard is currently manager of Al-Ettifaq, having managed 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 who invested in Salford City.

He had one match as caretaker boss of Salford in January 2015 and returned as interim manager for a five-match spell in 2020. In between those spells, Scholes managed Oldham in 2019 but won just one of the seven games he was in charge had.

Scholes was also a pundit and often appeared on TNT Sports.

Paul Scholes had a front-row seat to his teammate’s superb free-kick that day

Former defender Scholes often does investigative work and was manager of Oldham

Nick Barmby

Barmby played 23 times for England and had a long club career with the likes of Tottenham, Everton and Liverpool.

He ended up playing for Hull, which he later managed. Barmby was also 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 caps for England, 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 2011/2012 season, and more recently he has been in charge of Brisbane Roar, East Bengal and Al-Qadsiah.

Fowler often appeared in charity golf events.

Robbie Fowler, who played 26 times for England, has had spells as manager of several clubs

Emile Heskey

Heskey, Fowler’s former team-mate at Liverpool, is now Leicester City’s women’s head of football development, having previously had a spell as the team’s interim coach.

Earlier this year, Heskey was ordered to pay a legal costs bill of almost £200,000, following a lengthy dispute with HMRC over an unpaid tax bill dating back to 2019.

Heskey’s sons Jaden and Regan both play at youth level for Manchester City.

Emile Heskey is now head of football development for Leicester City women

The former Liverpool man would go on to make 62 appearances and score seven goals for his country