Jerzy Dudek
Encyclopedia
Jerzy Henryk Dudek (ˈjɛʐɨ ˈdudɛk; born 23 March 1973 in Rybnik
) is a retired Polish
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
After beginning his career in his home country, he went on to have successful spells in Netherlands
and England
, winning the UEFA Champions League
with Liverpool
in 2005
, appearing in 186 official games for the club over the course of six seasons. He also spent four years in Real Madrid
's roster.
Dudek played 59 times for Poland
- the second most-capped player in his position for several years - representing the nation at the 2002 World Cup
.
Dudek only played one season in the Polish top flight, appearing in roughly half of the matches for Sokół Tychy as the club finished in mid-table, making his debut in the competition against Legia Warsaw.
games for the club in the following four seasons combined. He won his first trophy in 1998–99 – the national championship – along with the following season's Dutch Super Cup, after a 3–2 win against Ajax Amsterdam.
Dudek won the Dutch Golden Shoe
award in 2000, becoming the first foreign player to win the award. He played his final game for Feyenoord on 26 August 2001, against Ajax.
in England
in late August 2001, and immediately replaced Sander Westerveld
as coach Gerard Houllier
's first-choice. Following a splendid first season where his clean sheets
and fine performances helped the club finish second in the Premier League behind double-winners Arsenal
, he was nominated alongside Oliver Kahn
and Gianluigi Buffon
for the UEFA
Goalkeeper of the Year award.
The following season, Dudek rebounded spectacularly from a series of poor errors in the league to win the League Cup
with a Man of the match
performance against Manchester United
in the final
. Pope John Paul II
, who was a goalkeeper in his youth, met personally with Dudek in 2004, telling him that he was a fan of Dudek's and followed Liverpool whenever they played; the player presented the Pope with a souvenir goalkeeper shirt, and would later dedicate Liverpool's UEFA Champions League
success to the late pontiff.
Dudek was a catalyst in Liverpool's 2005 Champions League victorious run, 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 0–3 deficit to tie the match 3–3. He saved from Andrea Pirlo
and Shevchenko in the ensuing penalty shootout, in an eventual 3–2 win: during the shootout, he 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, the Trophy Boyz, recorded a successful novelty single called 'Du the Dudek
'; he became the third Polish footballer after Zbigniew Boniek
(with Juventus FC
) and fellow goalkeeper Józef Młynarczyk (F.C. Porto) to win the Champions League - he also received his second Goalkeeper of the Year nomination.
Dudek lost his starting position to new acquisition José Manuel Reina in 2005–06, following an arm injury, only making 12 more appearances for the Reds in the following two seasons combined (eight in the league). Despite courting controversy by accusing manager Rafael Benítez
of 'treating him like a slave', he insisted that he 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. He was voted by fans at a creditable No.36 in the list of 100 Players Who Shook the Kop.
for 2007–08, but only played in two La Liga
matches in four years, due to the presence of Iker Casillas
. Nevertheless, his attitude and work ethic earned praise from his fans, teammates, coaching staff and several Spanish journalists; his Man of the match performance in his debut, in the penultimate game of the 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, in December 2008, Dudek was handed a rare start in a 3–0 home win against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
, as the club was already qualified from the Champions League group stages. In a match where Madrid's attacking play made headlines, he 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 the manager, who highlighted the goalkeeper's qualities and referred to him as a 'magnificent player'. It would be his last appearance of the season, which also saw a 0–5 aggregate loss against former club Liverpool in the round of 16.
Speculation was rife about Dudek's dissatisfaction with life at Real, and an end-of-season return to Feyenoord where he would work more closely with coach Leo Beenhakker
- his former boss at Feyenoord and also at the helm of the Polish national team - was a possibility, but nothing materialised, and with former teammate Jordi Codina
leaving to join Getafe CF
, the 36-year old eventually accepted a new one-year deal to remain at the club, while also speaking about his contentment.
On 27 October 2009, Dudek saw his first action of the season in the first round of the Copa del Rey
, in a 0–4 shock loss against minnows AD Alcorcón
, from Segunda División B
, with the goalkeeper being one of the few on the losing end to perform well.
He also appeared in the second leg, an insufficient 1–0 home win.
On 10 April 2010, following news of the horrific air crash
which claimed the lives of 96 Polish people including president Lech Kaczyński
and several top government officials, the players of both Real Madrid and Barcelona agreed, at Dudek's request, to observe a minute's silence for the evening's El Clásico
match. His teammates also agreed to wear black armbands for the match.
On 15 July 2010, Dudek accepted another one-year contract to stay with Real Madrid. As manager José Mourinho
was appointed, he worked with his fourth coach in as many seasons. On 30 November 2010, he was fined €
5,000 for his role in the controversial sendings-off of teammates Xabi Alonso
and Sergio Ramos
in the Champions League group stage match against Ajax. He made his first start of the 2010–11 season in the same competition, against AJ Auxerre
on 8 December, but after making two impressive saves saw his action terminated after sustaining a jaw
injury in a clash with opposing forward Roy Contout
just before half-time
. He was successfully fitted with an intermaxillary fixation device and was out of action for six weeks before returning to training. He was subsequently praised for his performance by stand-in manager Aitor Karanka.
Dudek was named as a substitute for the 2010–11 Spanish Cup final
, a 1–0 win against FC Barcelona
. He made his final appearance for the Merengues on 21 May 2011, in a 8–1 home win over UD Almería
, and was substituted in the 77th minute to a guard of honour from his Real Madrid team-mates.
in 1996 as an unused substitute during an exhibition game
against Russia
in Moscow
, and won his first cap in February 1998 in another friendly, against Israel
. He also captained the team once in a friendly against Estonia
.
Dudek played nine of the national team's ten 2002 FIFA World Cup
qualifiers
as it finished top of its group, and started in the finals in Japan
and South Korea
, in an eventual group stage exit. He also played in seven of his country's ten qualifying matches
for the 2006 World Cup
, but owing to a lack of appearances at club level during the season, he was dropped from the starting line-up in favour of Artur Boruc
and left off the final squad as a result, at which point he had earned 56 caps.
Dudek's omission from the World Cup squad was greeted with shock among Polish fans and media alike, with one newspaper's headline reading 'Has Janas
[national team manager] gone mad?!'. 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 the goal Kuszczak conceded, which prompted the chants, was directly from a goal-kick from the opposing goalkeeper Neco Martínez.
Following the World Cup, Dudek returned to the national team to play in two internationals under new boss Beenhakker, a 0–2 friendly defeat in Denmark
and a 1–3 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying defeat against Finland
, also away, before being dropped yet again. Despite a period of three years in the wilderness, he always believed that he would return to the national team and, in September 2009 he was called-up to the squad for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers
against the Czech Republic
and Slovakia
by interim manager Stefan Majewski
: after being on the bench for the first match in Prague
, which saw Poland's slim World Cup hopes shattered, Dudek won his 59th cap against the latter on 14 October, in Poland's final competitive game before Euro 2012: in a match which was played in heavy snow
and in front of a near-empty Stadion Slaski in Chorzów
, he was denied a clean sheet by a Seweryn Gancarczyk
own goal
, as Poland lost 0–1.
, he was a part of the joint delegation and was involved in a presentation with the striker.
|1995–96||GKS Tychy||Ekstraklasa||15||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||0
|-
|1996–97||rowspan="6"|Feyenoord||rowspan="6"|Eredivisie
||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
|1997–98||34||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0||36||0
|-
|1998–99||34||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||34||0
|-
|1999–00||34||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||0||40||0
|-
|2000–01||34||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||0||42||0
|-
|2001–02||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|2001–02||rowspan="6"|Liverpool
||rowspan="6"|Premier League||35||0||2||0||0||0||12||0||49||0
|-
|2002–03||30||0||2||0||2||0||11||0||45||0
|-
|2003–04||30||0||3||0||1||0||4||0||38||0
|-
|2004–05||24||0||1||0||6||0||10||0||41||0
|-
|2005–06||6||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|2006–07||2||0||1||0||2||0||1||0||6||0
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="4"|Real Madrid
||rowspan="4"|La Liga
||1||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||5||0
|-
|2008–09||0||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||3||0
|-
|2009–10
||0||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||2||0
|-
|2010–11
||1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||2||0
|-
15||0|||0|||0||0||0||0||0||15||0
139||0||0|||0||10||0||16||0||155||0
127||0||9||0||11||0||38||0||184||0
2||0||8||0||0||0||2||0||12||0
283||0||17||0||11||0||56||0||367||0
and he spoke of himself having taken training to follow in his father's footsteps before his opportunity to play football came along. His brother, Dariusz
, is also a footballer.
Dudek refused to wear the '13' jersey for two seasons after arriving at Real Madrid, stating that Polish goalkeepers generally do not use 13; the numbers 1, 12 and 22 are traditionally used. He therefore wore '25' as it was the next best thing while Codina wore '13' until his departure. Dudek wore '13' for the 2009–10 season under Manuel Pellegrini
, but was handed back the '25' shirt under Mourinho. In his first season at Liverpool he wore the '12' jersey because Westerveld was still in possession of the '1' squad number.
In 2005, Dudek received the title of the honourable citizen of Knurów
, during a charity match called "Jerzy Dudek & Friends." He also made his Polish television debut as an analyst for the 2005 UEFA Super Cup
final between Liverpool and PFC CSKA Moscow, which he missed due to injury. In 2006, while on summer vacation in Poland, his 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 his collection of shirts, medals and awards was recovered, along with most of his valuables.
Dudek also stated that he would like to start a football academy in Poland with his brother after retiring from football.
Rybnik
Rybnik is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship. Rybnik is located close to the border with the Czech Republic and just outside the southern border of the largest urban area in Poland, the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union...
) is a retired Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
After beginning his career in his home country, he went on to have successful spells in Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, winning the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
with Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in 2005
2005 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Liverpool of England and Milan of Italy at the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on 25 May 2005...
, appearing in 186 official games for the club over the course of six seasons. He also spent four years in Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
's roster.
Dudek played 59 times for Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
- the second most-capped player in his position for several years - representing the nation at the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
.
Early years
Dudek began playing football at twelve, for Górnik Knurów. Six years later he made his senior debuts, with Concordia Knurów in the third division, where he set a record of 416 minutes without conceding a goal.Dudek only played one season in the Polish top flight, appearing in roughly half of the matches for Sokół Tychy as the club finished in mid-table, making his debut in the competition against Legia Warsaw.
Feyenoord
Dudek left his country in 1996 at the age of 23, joining Feyenoord Rotterdam, but had to wait a year before he made his debut, proceeding to appear in all EredivisieEredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
games for the club in the following four seasons combined. He won his first trophy in 1998–99 – the national championship – along with the following season's Dutch Super Cup, after a 3–2 win against Ajax Amsterdam.
Dudek won the Dutch Golden Shoe
Dutch Footballer of the Year
The title Dutch Footballer of the Year has been awarded in the Netherlands since 1984. The award is determined by a poll of Dutch professional footballers playing in the First and Second leagues....
award in 2000, becoming the first foreign player to win the award. He played his final game for Feyenoord on 26 August 2001, against Ajax.
Liverpool
Dudek joined LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in late August 2001, and immediately replaced Sander Westerveld
Sander Westerveld
Sander Westerveld is a Dutch professional football goalkeeper. He left Sparta Rotterdam at the end of the 2007–08 Eredivisie season to play for Monza, and is currently playing for South African Premier Soccer League club Ajax Cape Town....
as coach Gerard Houllier
Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
's first-choice. Following a splendid first season where his clean sheets
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
and fine performances helped the club finish second in the Premier League behind double-winners Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, he was nominated alongside Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn
Oliver Rolf Kahn is a former German football goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team. He had his debut game in the professional squad in 1987...
and Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history...
for the UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
Goalkeeper of the Year award.
The following season, Dudek rebounded spectacularly from a series of poor errors in the league to win the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
with a Man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
performance against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in the final
2003 Football League Cup Final
The 2003 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2002–03 Football League Cup, a football tournament for teams in the Premier League and the Football League. The match was contested by Liverpool and Manchester United at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 2 March 2003...
. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, who was a goalkeeper in his youth, met personally with Dudek in 2004, telling him that he was a fan of Dudek's and followed Liverpool whenever they played; the player presented the Pope with a souvenir goalkeeper shirt, and would later dedicate Liverpool's UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
success to the late pontiff.
Dudek was a catalyst in Liverpool's 2005 Champions League victorious run, performing a double save against A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
's Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko is a Ukrainian footballer who plays for Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukraine national team as a striker. He is the third-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 67 goals as of 2011-03-10, behind Filippo Inzaghi and Raúl. With 175 goals scored with A.C...
at the end of extra time
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
in the final
2005 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Liverpool of England and Milan of Italy at the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on 25 May 2005...
, after Liverpool had rallied from a 0–3 deficit to tie the match 3–3. He saved from Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian World Cup winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus, and for the Italian national team. He is usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker for both Juventus and Italy and is regarded as one of best players in this position...
and Shevchenko in the ensuing penalty shootout, in an eventual 3–2 win: during the shootout, he attempted to distract the Milan players with the "spaghetti legs" tactic that was used by former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce David Grobbelaar is a former football goalkeeper and manager.He played for a number of clubs in a career which spanned for more than 20 years at professional level, most notably Liverpool during their dominant period in the 1980s and early 1990s.-Early years:In his teenage years, Grobbelaar...
in the 1984 European Cup Final
1984 European Cup Final
The 1984 European Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool of England and Roma of Italy on 30 May 1984 at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy. It was the final match of the 1983–84 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the UEFA Champions League. Liverpool were appearing in...
. 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, the Trophy Boyz, recorded a successful novelty single called 'Du the Dudek
Du the Dudek
Du the Dudek is a novelty song sung and written by The Trophy Boyz celebrating Liverpool F.C.'s historic fifth UEFA Champions League win in 2005. It reached number 37 in the UK charts and 7 in the UK Indie charts....
'; he became the third Polish footballer after Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden...
(with Juventus FC
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
) and fellow goalkeeper Józef Młynarczyk (F.C. Porto) to win the Champions League - he also received his second Goalkeeper of the Year nomination.
Dudek lost his starting position to new acquisition José Manuel Reina in 2005–06, following an arm injury, only making 12 more appearances for the Reds in the following two seasons combined (eight in the league). Despite courting controversy by accusing manager Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
of 'treating him like a slave', he insisted that he 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. He was voted by fans at a creditable No.36 in the list of 100 Players Who Shook the Kop.
Real Madrid
34-year old Dudek moved to Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
for 2007–08, but only played in two La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
matches in four years, due to the presence of Iker Casillas
Íker Casillas
Iker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish football goalkeeper who plays for the Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, being the captain of both...
. Nevertheless, his attitude and work ethic earned praise from his fans, teammates, coaching staff and several Spanish journalists; his Man of the match performance in his debut, in the penultimate game of the season against Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
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, in December 2008, Dudek was handed a rare start in a 3–0 home win against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit is a Russian football club from the city of Saint-Petersburg. Founded in 1925 , the club plays in the Russian Premier League...
, as the club was already qualified from the Champions League group stages. In a match where Madrid's attacking play made headlines, he 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 the manager, who highlighted the goalkeeper's qualities and referred to him as a 'magnificent player'. It would be his last appearance of the season, which also saw a 0–5 aggregate loss against former club Liverpool in the round of 16.
Speculation was rife about Dudek's dissatisfaction with life at Real, and an end-of-season return to Feyenoord where he would work more closely with coach Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
- his former boss at Feyenoord and also at the helm of the Polish national team - was a possibility, but nothing materialised, and with former teammate Jordi Codina
Jordi Codina
Jordi Codina Rodríguez is a Spanish footballer who plays for Getafe CF as a goalkeeper.-Football career:...
leaving to join Getafe CF
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
, the 36-year old eventually accepted a new one-year deal to remain at the club, while also speaking about his contentment.
On 27 October 2009, Dudek saw his first action of the season in the first round of the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
, in a 0–4 shock loss against minnows AD Alcorcón
AD Alcorcón
Agrupación Deportiva Alcorcón is a Spanish football team based in Alcorcón, in the autonomous community of Madrid. Founded in 1971, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home matches at Municipal de Santo Domingo, with a 5,430 seat capacity....
, from Segunda División B
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
, with the goalkeeper being one of the few on the losing end to perform well.
He also appeared in the second leg, an insufficient 1–0 home win.
On 10 April 2010, following news of the horrific air crash
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
The 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 April 2010, when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board...
which claimed the lives of 96 Polish people including president Lech Kaczyński
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
and several top government officials, the players of both Real Madrid and Barcelona agreed, at Dudek's request, to observe a minute's silence for the evening's El Clásico
El Clásico
El Clásico , also known as El derbi Español, is the name given in football to a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. It is contested twice a year in the Spanish La Liga competition, and more often if the clubs meet in other competitions...
match. His teammates also agreed to wear black armbands for the match.
On 15 July 2010, Dudek accepted another one-year contract to stay with Real Madrid. As manager José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
was appointed, he worked with his fourth coach in as many seasons. On 30 November 2010, he was fined €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
5,000 for his role in the controversial sendings-off of teammates Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso
Xabier "Xabi" Alonso Olano is a Spanish World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Real Madrid as a midfielder.Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his home region Gipuzkoa. After a brief loan period at Eibar he returned to Sociedad where then manager John Toshack appointed...
and Sergio Ramos
Sérgio Ramos
Sérgio Bruno Antunes Selores Ramos is a Portuguese basketball player.He measures 2.00 metres and plays as a Forward . He announced the end of his international career, after Portugal's exit from the EuroBasket 2007...
in the Champions League group stage match against Ajax. He made his first start of the 2010–11 season in the same competition, against AJ Auxerre
AJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
on 8 December, but after making two impressive saves saw his action terminated after sustaining a jaw
Jaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
injury in a clash with opposing forward Roy Contout
Roy Contout
Roy Contout is a French Guianan football striker, he currently plays for AJ Auxerre.- Career :Contout began his career with Beauvais and signed in summer 2004 for FC Metz. After three years and 39 games, who scores one goal signed in summer 2007 for Amiens SC...
just before half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
. He was successfully fitted with an intermaxillary fixation device and was out of action for six weeks before returning to training. He was subsequently praised for his performance by stand-in manager Aitor Karanka.
Dudek was named as a substitute for the 2010–11 Spanish Cup final
2011 Copa del Rey Final
-Aftermath:Real Madrid players celebrated their victory that evening by riding a double-decker bus through Madrid where they were greeted by cheering crowds. While holding the trophy aloft, Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos dropped the cup in front of the bus, where it was crushed. Ramos later...
, a 1–0 win against FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
. He made his final appearance for the Merengues on 21 May 2011, in a 8–1 home win over UD Almería
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1989 as Almería Club de Fútbol, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, with a 22,000-seat...
, and was substituted in the 77th minute to a guard of honour from his Real Madrid team-mates.
International career
Dudek received his first call-up for PolandPoland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
in 1996 as an unused substitute during an exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and won his first cap in February 1998 in another friendly, against Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
. He also captained the team once in a friendly against Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
.
Dudek played nine of the national team's ten 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
qualifiers
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification....
as it finished top of its group, and started in the finals in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, in an eventual group stage exit. He also played in seven of his country's ten qualifying matches
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup...
for the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, but owing to a lack of appearances at club level during the season, he was dropped from the starting line-up in favour of Artur Boruc
Artur Boruc
Artur Boruc is a Polish footballer who plays for Serie A club Fiorentina as a goalkeeper. On 20 October 2008, Boruc was one of 55 players shortlisted for the FIFPro World XI Player Awards.-Pogoń Siedlce:...
and left off the final squad as a result, at which point he had earned 56 caps.
Dudek's omission from the World Cup squad was greeted with shock among Polish fans and media alike, with one newspaper's headline reading 'Has Janas
Pawel Janas
-Club:He began his playing career for the Włókniarz Pabianice team in 1965, but later left the club in 1973.-National team:From 1976 to 1984, he won 53 international caps for Poland...
[national team manager] gone mad?!'. During a warm-up match against Colombia
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
, where both Boruc and Tomasz Kuszczak
Tomasz Kuszczak
Tomasz Mirosław Kuszczak is a Polish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Manchester United and the Polish national team.Born in Krosno Odrzańskie, Kuszczak has previously played for Śląsk Wrocław in Poland, as well as for the German clubs KFC Uerdingen 05 and Hertha BSC, before...
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 the goal Kuszczak conceded, which prompted the chants, was directly from a goal-kick from the opposing goalkeeper Neco Martínez.
Following the World Cup, Dudek returned to the national team to play in two internationals under new boss Beenhakker, a 0–2 friendly defeat in Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
and a 1–3 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying defeat against Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
, also away, before being dropped yet again. Despite a period of three years in the wilderness, he always believed that he would return to the national team and, in September 2009 he was called-up to the squad for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...
against the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
and Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...
by interim manager Stefan Majewski
Stefan Majewski
Stefan Majewski is a retired Polish soccer player and subsequently a football manager who recently was the interim manager of the Polish national team.-Career:...
: after being on the bench for the first match in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, which saw Poland's slim World Cup hopes shattered, Dudek won his 59th cap against the latter on 14 October, in Poland's final competitive game before Euro 2012: in a match which was played in heavy snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
and in front of a near-empty Stadion Slaski in Chorzów
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, he was denied a clean sheet by a Seweryn Gancarczyk
Seweryn Gancarczyk
Seweryn Daniel Gancarczyk is a professional Polish football player for Lech Poznań who plays as a left sided defender.- Career :Gancarczyk started to play football in his early teens, in junior teams of Podkarpacie Pustynia...
own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
, as Poland lost 0–1.
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 for his country. Along with his Champions' League nemesis Shevchenko of UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, he was a part of the joint delegation and was involved in a presentation with the striker.
Feyenoord
- EredivisieEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 1998–99 - Johan Cruijff Shield: 1999
Liverpool
- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2004–05; Runner-up 2006–07 - UEFA Super Cup: 20052005 UEFA Super CupThe 2005 UEFA Super Cup was an association football match between Liverpool of England and CSKA Moscow of Russia on 26 August 2005 at Stade Louis II, Monaco, the annual UEFA Super Cup contested between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. Liverpool were appearing in the Super Cup...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 2005–06 - Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: 2002–03; Runner-up 2004–05 - FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
: 20062006 FA Community ShieldThe 2006 FA Community Shield was a football match played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 13 August 2006 between the 2005–06 FA Premier League champions Chelsea and 2005–06 FA Cup winners Liverpool. Liverpool won the match 2–1, with goals coming from John Arne Riise and Peter Crouch...
; Runner-up 20022002 FA Community ShieldThe 2002 FA Community Shield was a football match played on 11 August 2002 between 2001-02 Double winners Arsenal and 2001-02 Premier League runners-up Liverpool. Arsenal won the game 1–0 in normal time. Gilberto Silva scored the only goal of the game in the 69th minute... - FIFA Club World Championship: Runner-up 20052005 FIFA Club World Championship-Quarter-finals:-----Semi-finals:-----Fifth Place:-Third Place:-Final:-Scorers: 2 goals Amoroso Peter Crouch Mohammed Noor Alvaro Saborio...
Real Madrid
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 2007–08 - Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 2010–11 - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 20082008 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2008 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 17 August and 24 August 2008. It was contested by Valencia CF, who were Spanish Cup winners in 2007–08, and Real Madrid, who won the 2007–08 Spanish League. Real Madrid won 6–5 on aggregate for their eighth Supercopa...
; Runner-up 20072007 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2007 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 11 August and 19 August 2007. It contested by Sevilla FC, who were Spanish Cup winners in 2006–07, and Real Madrid, who won the 2006–07 Spanish League. Sevilla FC won 6–3 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:-References:...
Individual
- Dutch Golden ShoeDutch Footballer of the YearThe title Dutch Footballer of the Year has been awarded in the Netherlands since 1984. The award is determined by a poll of Dutch professional footballers playing in the First and Second leagues....
: 1999–2000 - Dutch Goalkeeper of the Year: 1998–99, 1999–2000
Club statistics
|-|1995–96||GKS Tychy||Ekstraklasa||15||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||0
|-
|1996–97||rowspan="6"|Feyenoord||rowspan="6"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
|1997–98||34||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0||36||0
|-
|1998–99||34||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||34||0
|-
|1999–00||34||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||0||40||0
|-
|2000–01||34||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||0||42||0
|-
|2001–02||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|2001–02||rowspan="6"|Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
||rowspan="6"|Premier League||35||0||2||0||0||0||12||0||49||0
|-
|2002–03||30||0||2||0||2||0||11||0||45||0
|-
|2003–04||30||0||3||0||1||0||4||0||38||0
|-
|2004–05||24||0||1||0||6||0||10||0||41||0
|-
|2005–06||6||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|2006–07||2||0||1||0||2||0||1||0||6||0
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="4"|Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
||rowspan="4"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||1||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||5||0
|-
|2008–09||0||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||3||0
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
||0||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||2||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 La Liga
The 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División...
||1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||2||0
|-
15||0|||0|||0||0||0||0||0||15||0
139||0||0|||0||10||0||16||0||155||0
127||0||9||0||11||0||38||0||184||0
2||0||8||0||0||0||2||0||12||0
283||0||17||0||11||0||56||0||367||0
Personal life
Dudek and his wife, Mirella, have one son, Aleksander, and two daughters, Wiktoria and Natalia. His father was a minerMiner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
and he spoke of himself having taken training to follow in his father's footsteps before his opportunity to play football came along. His brother, Dariusz
Dariusz Dudek
Dariusz Dudek is a Polish footballer playing currently in Odra Wodzisław . Dariusz Dudek is former player of such a teams like GKS Katowice, Widzew Łódź, Legia Warsaw and FC Vitkovice. He is the younger brother of ex-Real Madrid goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek.-References:...
, is also a footballer.
Dudek refused to wear the '13' jersey for two seasons after arriving at Real Madrid, stating that Polish goalkeepers generally do not use 13; the numbers 1, 12 and 22 are traditionally used. He therefore wore '25' as it was the next best thing while Codina wore '13' until his departure. Dudek wore '13' for the 2009–10 season under Manuel Pellegrini
Manuel Pellegrini
Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti is a Chilean manager and former footballer. His current club is La Liga side Málaga CF.-Club career:...
, but was handed back the '25' shirt under Mourinho. In his first season at Liverpool he wore the '12' jersey because Westerveld was still in possession of the '1' squad number.
In 2005, Dudek received the title of the honourable citizen of Knurów
Knurów
Knurów is a town near Katowice in Silesia, southern Poland. Knurów borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of two million....
, during a charity match called "Jerzy Dudek & Friends." He also made his Polish television debut as an analyst for the 2005 UEFA Super Cup
2005 UEFA Super Cup
The 2005 UEFA Super Cup was an association football match between Liverpool of England and CSKA Moscow of Russia on 26 August 2005 at Stade Louis II, Monaco, the annual UEFA Super Cup contested between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. Liverpool were appearing in the Super Cup...
final between Liverpool and PFC CSKA Moscow, which he missed due to injury. In 2006, while on summer vacation in Poland, his home on the Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
was burgled and several valuables and treasured football memorabilia were stolen. Thanks to the efforts of the Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The force area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million...
Department his collection of shirts, medals and awards was recovered, along with most of his valuables.
Dudek also stated that he would like to start a football academy in Poland with his brother after retiring from football.