Back in those days the Villa Park faithful were treated to plenty of excitement as the West Midland’s side recorded three consecutive sixth place finishes in the Premier League, whilst also competing in the final of the League Cup at Wembley Stadium.
Aston Villa progressed from the group stage in their last European campaign in a competitive group which featured the likes of Hamburg, Ajax, Zilina and Slavia Prague.
But their dreams of European silverware came to an end when they were beaten by Russian outfit CSKA Moscow in the round of 32.
O’Neill’s side entered the game level after a 1-1 draw at Villa Park, but were unable to match the hosts in the reverse fixture in Moscow as they fell to a 2-0 defeat.
The result came as little surprise at the time and the Villain’s opted to rest eight first team regulars for the match as O’Neill priorised Villa’s push for Champions League football over their UEFA Cup campaign.
But who featured in Aston Villa’s last European outing and where are the players from that team now?
Here’s all you need to know.

9. Centre midfield: Steve Sidwell
Steve Sidwell linked up with former Reading teammate Nick Shorey at the start of the 2008/09 season. Sidwell struggled to establish himself as a first team fixture during his three years at Aston Villa and left the club to join Fulham who were managed by Mark Hughes. The midfielder spent four years at Craven Cottage and was their top scorer in a dismal 2013/14 season that saw the club get relegated. He was resigned by Mark Hughes at Stoke City before ending his career at Brighton in 2018. Sidwell has since worked as an ambassador and youth development coach at Brighton, while he also worked on a podcast called Liquid Football with ex-team mate Jon Walters. (Getty Images) | Getty Images

10. Left midfield: Barry Bannan
Barry Bannan made his full debut during Aston Villa’s defeat to CSKA Moscow, but he would not feature in the Premier League for another two seasons. Bannan was on the fringes of the Aston Villa during Alex McLeish and Paul Lambert’s time at the club, before leaving to join Crystal Palace. The Scottish international agreed a deal to join Sheffield Wednesday in 2015 and he has remained an ever-present in South Yorkshire for the last eight years. The 33-year-old is club captain at Sheffield Wednesday and he has started all of their Championship games so far this season. (Getty Images) | Getty Images

11. Striker: Nathan Delfounseo
Aston Villa opted for a youthful approach in the UEFA Cup and Nathan Delfounseo was preferred in attack over Gabriel Agbonlahor. Delfounseo scored two goals during that European campaign and was tipped to become a star in future years after a series of strong showings for England’s youth teams. The striker struggled to break into the Villa lineup and was released with Albrighton in 2014 after a series of loan spells. Delfounseo has since played for the likes of Blackpool (twice), Blackburn Rovers, Bury, Swindon, Bolton, Bradford and Accrington Stanley. He is currently leading the line for National League newsboys AFC Fylde. (Getty Images) | Getty Images