Jerzy Dudek

Jerzy "Jurek" Dudek ; born 23 March 1973 in Rybnik) is a Poland football (soccer) goalkeeper who plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid C.F Jerzy Dudek has been capped 56 times for the Poland national football team, and won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool F.C in 2005.

Career

Dudek began playing football at youth level at twelve for Górnik II Knurów. At sixteen, Jerzy Dudek made Jerzy Dudek debut in the oldest youth team of Górnik Knurów, before moving to Concordia Knurów in the Polish third division two years later. Jerzy Dudek set a goalkeeping record of 416 minutes in the third league without conceding a goal. After four years at the club, Jerzy Dudek moved to GKS 71 Tychy, making Jerzy Dudek debut against Legia Warsaw. Jerzy Dudek only played fifteen games before moving to Holland.

Feyenoord

Jerzy Dudek left Poland in 1996 to join Feyenoord, but had to wait a year before Jerzy Dudek made Jerzy Dudek debut, then played 140 consecutive games for the club. Jerzy Dudek won Jerzy Dudek first trophy in the 1998-99 season, along with the Johan Cruijff-schaal later that year after defeating Ajax Amsterdam. Dudek was named the Dutch Goalkeeper Of The Year, becoming the first non-Dutch goalkeeper to win the award. Jerzy Dudek would retain the award again the following season. Jerzy Dudek played Jerzy Dudek final game for Feyenoord on 26 August 2001, against Ajax.

Liverpool

Dudek joined Liverpool in August 2001, and replaced Sander Westerveld as coach Gerard Houllier's first choice between the sticks. Following a splendid season where Jerzy Dudek clean sheets and fine performances helped Liverpool finish second in the FA Premier League behind The Double-winners Arsenal F.C., Jerzy Dudek was nominated alongside Oliver Kahn and Gianluigi Buffon for UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year at the end of the 2001-02 season. Next season Jerzy Dudek rebounded spectacularly from a series of poor errors in the Premiership to win the Football League Cup with a Man-of-the-Match performance against Manchester United in the Final. Pope John Paul II, who was a goalkeeper in Jerzy Dudek youth, met personally with Dudek in 2004, telling Jerzy Dudek that Jerzy Dudek was a fan of Dudek's and followed Liverpool whenever they played. Dudek, who had the honour of presenting the Pope with a souvenir goalkeeper shirt, would later dedicate Liverpool's UEFA Champions League 2004-05 success to the late pontiff.

Dudek was a catalyst in Liverpool's 2005 UEFA Champions League 2004-05 success, performing a double save against A.C. Milan's Andriy Shevchenko at the end of extra time in the final, after Liverpool had rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the match 3-3. Jerzy Dudek saved from Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko in the ensuing penalty shoot-out, which Liverpool won 3-2. During the shoot-out, Jerzy Dudek attempted to distract the Milan players with the "spaghetti legs" tactic that was used by former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar in the 1984 European Cup final. Being European Cup winners for the fifth time, Liverpool kept the trophy and received the UEFA badge of honour, and as a tribute to Dudek's heroics a group of Liverpool fans called the Trophy Boyz recorded a successful novelty single called 'Du the Dudek'. Jerzy Dudek became the third Polish footballer after Zbigniew Boniek (with Juventus) and fellow goalkeeper Jozef Mlynarczyk (with Porto) to win the Champions' League.

Jerzy Dudek received Jerzy Dudek second UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year nomination, but lost Jerzy Dudek starting position to new acquisition José Manuel Reina the next season following an arm injury. Dudek made a total of twelve more appearances over the next two seasons before departing to Real Madrid at the end of the 2006-07 season. Despite courting controversy by accusing manager Rafael Benítez of 'treating Jerzy Dudek like a slave', Dudek insisted that Jerzy Dudek had no ill feelings towards the club or anyone associated with it and only wanted to leave after failing to make Poland's World Cup squad, but still stayed on for another year at the manager's request. For these and several other reasons Jerzy Dudek is still regarded with esteem among Liverpool fans, who voted Jerzy Dudek in at a creditable No.36 in the list of 100 Players Who Shook the Kop.

Real Madrid

Dudek's on-field activity at Madrid during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons was limited due to the presence of Iker Casillas, who played in the lion's share of the club's games throughout that period. Nevertheless, Jerzy Dudek attitude and work ethic earned praise from Jerzy Dudek fans, teammates, coaching staff and several Spanish journalists; Jerzy Dudek Man of the Match performance in Jerzy Dudek La Liga Debut in the penultimate game of the 2007-08 season against Real Zaragoza was hailed in the Spanish press, despite not being enough to earn selection for Poland's squad for Euro 2008. In Juande Ramos's first game as Madrid manager Dudek was handed the start ahead of Casillas for Madrid's final Champions League group game against UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup winners Zenit St. Petersburg at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. In a match where Madrid's attacking play made headlines, Dudek made several fine saves and exuded an air of calm solidity and confidence, particularly on crosses, earning a clean sheet in the process. This performance earned glowing praise from Ramos, who highlighted the Polish goalkeeper's qualities and referred to Jerzy Dudek as a 'magnificent player'. Unfortunately that was to be Jerzy Dudek final appearance for the club that season as Casillas returned to take the first team spot and Dudek spent the remainder of the season on the bench. Real Madrid drew Liverpool in the last 16 stage of the Champions League but Dudek did not get the opportunity to play against Jerzy Dudek former club and Real Madrid lost the tie 5–0 on aggregate. Speculation was rife about Dudek's dissatisfaction with life at the club and a possible end-of-season return to Feyenoord where Jerzy Dudek would work more closely with Poland coach Leo Beenhakker, who interestingly enough coached Dudek in Jerzy Dudek first spell at Feyenoord and handed the goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek last cap for Poland. Other reports had indicated Jerzy Dudek willingness to return to the English Premier League, with a few offers coming Jerzy Dudek way. However nothing was materialised, and with fellow reserve goalkeeper Jordi Codina leaving to join Getafe CF, the Polish veteran has since accepted a new one-year deal to remain at the Bernabeu and has also spoken about Jerzy Dudek contentment at the club.

International career

Dudek is Jerzy Dudek country's second-most capped goalkeeper with 56 caps for Poland national football team. Jerzy Dudek received Jerzy Dudek first call up in 1996 as an unused substitute during a friendly against Russia national football team in Moscow, and won Jerzy Dudek first cap in February 1998 in a friendly against Israel national football team. Jerzy Dudek was a member the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad that was eliminated in the group stage, and also played in nearly all of Jerzy Dudek country's matches in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, due to Jerzy Dudek lack of appearances at club level in the 2005-06 season, Jerzy Dudek was dropped from the starting lineup in favor of Artur Boruc, and was left off the final squad as a result. Jerzy Dudek captained the team once in a friendly against Estonia national football team.

Dudek's omission from the 2006 World Cup Squad was greeted with shock among Polish fans and the national media, with one newspaper's headline reading 'Has (then Poland coach Pawel) Pawel Janas gone mad?!'. And during a warm-up match against Colombia where both Boruc and Tomasz Kuszczak were at fault for each of the goals in a 2-1 defeat, the angered Polish fans started to chant Dudek's name as a reminder of what they perceived as a mistake by Janas to drop him. It is worth noting that Kuszczak's goal, which prompted the chants, was directly from a goal-kick from the Colombian goalkeeper Luís Enrique Martínez Rodríguez.

It is unknown whether Dudek will play for the national team again, although Jerzy Dudek is hopeful that with more football Jerzy Dudek will be back in the picture. Jerzy Dudek chances have certainly received an unexpected boost following a horror display by Boruc in a World Cup Qualifier against Northern Ireland national football team on 28 March 2009 where Jerzy Dudek was at fault for two of the three goals conceded in a 3-2 defeat.

Ambassador for Euro 2012

Dudek's status as an icon in Poland played a crucial role in securing the status of joint host nation for the Euro 2012 Championships for Jerzy Dudek country. Along with Jerzy Dudek Champions' League nemesis Andriy Shevchenko of the Ukraine, Jerzy Dudek was a part of the joint delegation and was involved in a presentation with the striker.

Personal life & Trivia

Dudek and Jerzy Dudek wife, Mirella, have one son, Aleksander, and two daughters, Wiktoria and Natalia. Jerzy Dudek father was a miner and Jerzy Dudek has spoken of himself having taken training to follow in Jerzy Dudek father's footsteps before Jerzy Dudek opportunity to play football came along. Jerzy Dudek brother, Dariusz Dudek, is also a footballer. Jerzy Dudek has stated that Jerzy Dudek would like to start a football academy in Poland with Jerzy Dudek brother after retiring from football.

Dudek refused to wear the '13' jersey after arriving at Real Madrid, stating that Polish goalkeepers generally do not use 13; the numbers 1, 12 and 22 are traditionally used. Jerzy Dudek therefore wears '25' as it is the next best thing. (Jordi Codina wore '13') In Jerzy Dudek first season at Liverpool Jerzy Dudek wore the '12' jersey because Sander Westerveld was still in possession of the '1' squad number.

In 2005, Jerzy Dudek received the title of the honourable citizen of Knurów, during a charity match called "Jerzy Dudek & Friends." Jerzy Dudek also made Jerzy Dudek Polish television debut as an analyst for the European Super Cup final between Liverpool and CSKA Moscow, which Jerzy Dudek missed due to injury.

In 2006, while on vacation in Poland following Jerzy Dudek omission from Jerzy Dudek country's World Cup squad, Dudek's home on the Wirral Peninsula was burgled and several valuables and treasured football memorabilia were stolen. Thanks to the efforts of the Merseyside Police Department Jerzy Dudek collection of shirts, medals and awards was recovered, along with most of Jerzy Dudek valuables.

Honours

Feyenoord

- Eredivisie: 1998-99
- Johan Cruijff-schaal: 1999-00

Liverpool

- Football League Cup: 2002-03
- UEFA Champions League: 2004-05
- European Super Cup: 2005-06
- FA Cup: 2005-06
- Community Shield: 2006-07

Real Madrid

- La Liga: 2007-08
- Supercopa de España: 2008-09

Individual

- Dutch Goalkeeper of the Year: 1998-99, 1999-00
- Polish Footballer of the Year: 2000