Patrice Evra and contributed to the club that won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2003. He also featured in European competition for the first time in his career and, in the 2003–04 season, was the starting left-back on the Monaco team that reached the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final. In that same season domestically, Evra was named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year. He was also named to the organisation's Ligue 1 Team of the Year. Evra's performances with Monaco culminated into a move to English club Manchester United in January 2006. While
Patrice Evra of the fixture. With France leading 1–0, Evra fouled Nicușor Stanciu in the penalty box; Bogdan Stancu scored the resulting penalty in the 65th minute. The hosts eventually won the match 2–1, although Evra was later criticised for his performance. In the semi-final against Germany on 7 July, Evra drew praise from the media as he helped win a penalty for his team and produced a strong defensive performance to help France keep a clean-sheet and defeat the reigning world champions 2–0 to advance to the final of the competition. Following the victory, he was also lauded for his leadership