Liverpool FC Players from the Past: Jerzy Dudek
· Yahoo Sports
The name of Jerzy Dudek will forever be synonymous with one of the greatest chapters in Liverpool FC’s long and successful history.
Visit palladian.co.za for more information.
Along with Chris Kirkland, he came to Anfield in a double goalkeeping swoop from Gerard Houllier in August 2001, just days after a costly Sander Westerveld error consigned the Reds to defeat at newly-promoted Bolton.
The Polish stopper was immediately installed as first choice and enjoyed a terrific first season in the Premier League, recording 18 clean sheets and conceding only 26 goals in 35 top-flight games as the Merseysiders came second, their best top-flight placing in a dozen years.
To bet on Liverpool matches in Dudek’s native country of Poland, check out the latest odds from Bukmacherzyonline.com!
Unfortunately, the following campaign was a lot tougher for Dudek and for Liverpool. The goalkeeper chose the worst possible day to drop one of his worst blunders as he gifted a goal to Diego Forlan in a 2-1 win for Manchester United at Anfield.
The Poland international did make amends with a man-of-the-match performance against the Red Devils in the League Cup final three months later, but Houllier’s side would eventually miss out on Champions League qualification.
He continued to start the bulk of Liverpool’s matches, partly because of repeated injuries to Kirkland, although the manager didn’t seem fully settled on either of them by the time of his sacking in 2004.
Dudek would lose his place in the starting XI for a couple of months in Rafael Benitez’s first season in charge, but he regained it in time to inspire the Reds to a European campaign like no other.
Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Chelsea were all vanquished on the route to Istanbul, where the Merseysiders faced the formidable obstacle of AC Milan, who surged into a 3-0 lead by half-time.
Liverpool miraculously restored parity after the interval and their goalkeeper would make a stupendous double save from Andriy Shevchenko in extra time. Then came the penalty shootout and some Bruce Grobbelaar-esque theatrics to put off the Milan spot kick takers.
Dudek’s golden moment came when he saved from the Ukrainian superstar to confirm the Reds as champions of Europe for a fifth time. It was a remarkable turnaround for a ‘keeper who wasn’t even in the starting XI just six months previously.
Unfortunately for him, Benitez had already decided to bring in Pepe Reina that summer, and the Polish stopper – who infamously remarked that he felt like punching his manager in the face – would play just 12 more times for LFC before leaving for Real Madrid in 2007.
It made for an anticlimactic ending to his Liverpool career, but his legacy was forever secured by his heroics in Istanbul.