Lifting the Champions League trophy represents the pinnacle of club football, yet ex-Liverpool star Steve Finnan’s reward for his greatest night in the sport no longer remains in his possession. The 2026 final takes place on Saturday between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
Finnan, 50, has quite the history in the competition, having been part of the Reds’ extraordinary ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ penalty shootout victory against AC Milan in 2005, when Rafa Benitez’s side defied all the odds to claw back from 3-0 down against the Italian giants and claim the trophy.
However, the former Republic of Ireland international was forced to sell the medal he earned 21 years ago in Istanbul after becoming embroiled in a bankruptcy petition. Finnan hung up his boots in 2010 and chose to fund a property empire to kick-start his life after football.
He ran the business through two companies he co-owned with his brother Sean, who managed the firm day-to-day. The pair held a substantial home on Wimbledon Common and numerous other properties across south-west London in their portfolio, which descended into financial chaos after the brothers fell out.
The former Liverpool defender launched legal proceedings in 2023, alleging he had been deprived of £6million. He ultimately blamed solicitors for the collapse of his business, only for the High Court to dismiss his case.
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The court heard that Finnan had emailed solicitors in 2016, protesting that despite ‘significant funding from the claimant by way of loans, the companies appeared to have no money’.
Finnan then instructed his lawyers to lodge ‘unfair prejudice’ petitions against his brother. Sean rejected claims of misconduct but acknowledged their relationship had broken down, and following a switch of lawyers, the brothers ultimately reached an out-of-court settlement.
View 2 ImagesSteve Finnan played 46 minutes in Liverpool’s penalty shootout victory against AC Milan(Image: Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Finnan appeared poised for a £4m settlement after Sean agreed to hand over his shares, but the ex-footballer never received the amount with Sean later being made bankrupt in July 2019.
That same year, Finnan stated he only got £187,570 from the company’s sale and an additional £89,345 from the sale of another property. The financially draining saga forced Finnan to part with more of his treasured possessions.
Beyond auctioning off his Champions League medal, he also sold two signed shirts from the 2005 final, a replica Champions League trophy and a luxury watch he was given after the match. Finnan earned a runner-up medal after Liverpool lost the European final to AC Milan in 2007 and also put it up for auction.
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