Jerzy Dudek facts for kids
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Dudek in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jerzy Henryk Dudek | ||
| Date of birth | 23 March 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Rybnik, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1985–1991 | Górnik Knurów | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1995 | Concordia Knurów | 119 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | Sokół Tychy | 15 | (0) |
| 1996–2001 | Feyenoord | 139 | (0) |
| 2001–2007 | Liverpool | 127 | (0) |
| 2007–2011 | Real Madrid | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 402 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–2013 | Poland | 60 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jerzy Dudek, born on March 23, 1973, is a famous Polish former football player. He played as a goalkeeper.
Jerzy started his career in Poland. Then, he played successfully in the Netherlands and England. He won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005. He played 186 official games for Liverpool over six seasons. He also spent four years playing for Real Madrid.
Dudek played 60 times for the Polish national team. He was one of the most-capped goalkeepers for Poland for many years. He represented his country at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Poland
Jerzy Dudek was born in Rybnik, Poland. He began playing football at age 12 for Górnik Knurów. Six years later, he played his first senior game for Concordia. This was in the third division. He even set a record there by not letting in a goal for 416 minutes!
Dudek played only one season in Poland's top league, the Ekstraklasa. He played about half of the games for Sokół Tychy. His team finished in the middle of the league table.
Playing for Feyenoord
In 1996, when he was 23, Dudek left Poland. He joined the Dutch team Feyenoord. He had to wait a year before playing his first game. After that, he played in every Eredivisie match for the next four seasons.
He helped Feyenoord win the Dutch championship in 1999. They also won the Johan Cruyff Shield that same year. They beat Ajax 3–2 in that game.
In 2000, Dudek won the Dutch Golden Shoe award. He was the first foreign player to ever win it. That same year, he was also named Polish Footballer of the Year. His last game for Feyenoord was on August 26, 2001. It was a 2–1 loss at home against Ajax.
Time at Liverpool
Jerzy Dudek joined Liverpool in August 2001. He quickly became the main goalkeeper for coach Gérard Houllier. In his first season, he helped Liverpool finish second in the Premier League. He kept many clean sheets (games without letting in a goal). Because of his great performances, he was nominated for the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year award.
In the 2002–03 season, Dudek helped Liverpool win the League Cup. He was named the best player in the final game against Manchester United.
In 2004, Dudek met Pope John Paul II. The Pope, who used to be a goalkeeper himself, told Dudek he was a fan of his and followed Liverpool's games. Dudek gave the Pope a special goalkeeper shirt. Later, Dudek dedicated Liverpool's UEFA Champions League win to the Pope.
Winning the Champions League
Dudek was a key player in Liverpool's amazing Champions League win in 2005. In the final against AC Milan, Liverpool was losing 3–0 at half-time. But they came back to tie the game 3–3! In extra time, Dudek made an incredible double save against Andriy Shevchenko.
The game then went to a penalty shootout. Dudek saved shots from Andrea Pirlo and Shevchenko. He also tried to distract the opposing players with his "spaghetti legs" dance. This was a trick used by former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar in a past final. Liverpool won the shootout 3–2.
Because they won the European Cup for the fifth time, Liverpool got to keep the trophy. Dudek became the third Polish player to win the Champions League. He was also nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year again.
After this, Dudek lost his starting spot to new goalkeeper Pepe Reina in 2005. This was partly because of an arm injury. He played only 12 games for Liverpool in his last two seasons there. Even though he had some disagreements with his manager, he always said he had no bad feelings towards the club. Fans voted him number 36 in the list of "100 Players Who Shook the Kop".
Later, fans voted Dudek's double save against Shevchenko as the greatest Champions League moment ever!
Moving to Real Madrid
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In 2007, at age 34, Dudek moved to Real Madrid. He played only two La Liga games in four years. This was because Iker Casillas was the main goalkeeper. However, Dudek's great attitude and hard work were praised by fans and teammates.
In December 2008, Dudek got a rare start in a Champions League game against Zenit Saint Petersburg. Real Madrid had already qualified, but Dudek played very well. He made several good saves and kept a clean sheet. His manager praised him, calling him a "magnificent player."
Dudek stayed with Real Madrid for another year. He was happy there, even though he didn't play much. In October 2009, he played in a Copa del Rey game. It was a shocking 4–0 loss to a smaller team, Alcorcón. Dudek was one of the few players who played well in that game.
In April 2010, after a sad plane crash in Poland, Dudek asked Real Madrid and Barcelona players to observe a minute of silence before their big game. Both teams agreed, and his teammates also wore black armbands.
Dudek signed another one-year contract with Real Madrid in July 2010. He worked with his fourth coach in four seasons, José Mourinho. In December, he started a Champions League game against Auxerre. He made two impressive saves but got a jaw injury. He recovered and was praised for his performance.
Dudek was a substitute in the 2011 Spanish Cup final, which Real Madrid won 1–0 against Barcelona. He played his last game for Real Madrid on May 21, 2011. It was an 8–1 win against Almería. He was substituted in the 77th minute and received a special farewell from his teammates.
International Career for Poland
Jerzy Dudek was first called up to the Polish national team in 1996. He played his first official game in February 1998. He even captained the team once in a friendly game.
Dudek played in nine of Poland's ten qualifying games for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Poland finished first in their group. He also started in the World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea.
He played in seven of Poland's qualifying matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, because he wasn't playing much for Liverpool, he was not chosen for the final World Cup squad. This decision surprised many Polish fans and media. During a warm-up game, fans even chanted Dudek's name to show their disappointment.
After the World Cup, Dudek returned to the national team for a couple of games. Then he was dropped again for three years. But he always believed he would play for Poland again. In September 2009, he was called up for World Cup qualifiers. He played his 59th game for Poland in October 2009.
Almost four years later, Dudek played his farewell game on June 4, 2013, against Liechtenstein. He became the oldest player to ever play for the Polish national team at 40 years old. He captained the team and wore number 60 on his shirt. He left the field just before half-time.
Life Outside Football
Dudek's fame in Poland helped his country become a joint host nation for the Euro 2012 football tournament. He was part of the team that presented the bid. He was also named an ambassador for the 2015 UEFA Europa League Final in Warsaw.
Jerzy Dudek is married to Mirella. They have a son, Aleksander, and two daughters, Victoria and Natalia. His father was a miner. Jerzy himself trained to be a miner before his football career began. His younger brother, Dariusz, also played football.
Dudek did not want to wear the number 13 shirt at Real Madrid for two seasons. He said that Polish goalkeepers usually do not use that number. They prefer numbers like 1, 12, or 22. So, he chose number 25 instead.
In 2005, Dudek was given the title of "honourable citizen" of Knurów, his hometown. This happened during a charity football match. He also worked as a football analyst on Polish television. In 2006, his home was burgled, and many valuables and football items were stolen. Luckily, the police helped recover most of his collection of shirts, medals, and awards.
Dudek has said he would like to start a football academy in Poland with his brother after retiring. He lives with his family in Kraków.
Honours and Awards
Feyenoord
- Eredivisie: 1998–99
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 1999
Liverpool
- FA Cup: 2005–06
- Football League Cup: 2002–03
- FA Community Shield: 2006
- UEFA Champions League: 2004–05
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2007–08
- Copa del Rey: 2010–11
- Supercopa de España: 2008
Individual Awards
- Polish Footballer of the Year: 2000
- Dutch Golden Shoe: 2000
- Dutch Goalkeeper of the Year: 1998–99, 1999–2000
- Alan Hardaker Trophy: 2003 (for best player in the League Cup final)
See also
In Spanish: Jerzy Dudek para niños
