Player Profile

"The Big Pole in Our Goal" will forever be a vital part of Liverpool's history. Dudek played regularly for third division Concordia Knurów since he was 18-years-old, gaining valuable experience from a young age making a total of 119 first-team appearances in four years. He moved to Sokol Tychy in the 1995/96 season and played 15 games in Poland's top-flight. Feyenoord saw he had great potential and he moved to Holland in 1996. When Ed De Goey was sold to Chelsea the number one shirt was up for grabs and in the championship 1998/99 season, Dudek was voted the best 'keeper in the Dutch League. His coach Leo Beenhakker described Dudek as "the best goalkeeper I've seen in 30 years." In his last campaign in Holland Dudek was awarded the "Golden Shoe" as the best player of the season. Dudek almost joined Arsenal instead of Liverpool but the move thankfully fell through as he was simply outstanding in his first season when the Reds finished second in the League. Dudek struggled in his second campaign having a particular horror show against Manchester United at Anfield on 1 December 2002 gift wrapping a goal for Diego Forlan. Following this debacle, Dudek lost his place to Chris Kirkland, who had been bought by Liverpool the same day as Dudek and had been waiting patiently for a chance. One of the many injuries that Kirkland had at Liverpool allowed Dudek back into the side in late January. Dudek played 38 games to Kirkland's 12 in 2003/04 that turned out to be Houllier's final season. 

Dudek lost his place to Kirkland from October to December 2004 but as Liverpool went from strength to strength in the Champions League the Pole only missed one game as the competition proceeded to the elimination stages. Whatever had transpired in Dudek's mostly excellent career at Liverpool was taken to another level in Istanbul where he gained legendary status. His wobbly legs impression of Bruce Grobbelaar in the shoot-out will be remembered just as his double save from Shevchenko in normal time from just a few yards that seemed completely incomprehensible. "My brother phoned me in the morning and said: 'Have you seen it on TV again?', Dudek said. "I said no, I hadn't, and he said 'You need to see it; the rebound, the second Shevchenko shot was the 'Hand of God' because from nowhere came your hand to save the goal.' I said I didn't know how I did it." Dudek's penalty save from Shevchenko clinched the European trophy for the fifth time in the club's history.

The monumental Istanbul heroics seemed in a distant past as Dudek went from hero to zero in a couple of months as Rafa Benítez brought in his compatriot, Pepe Reina, in the summer and once the 2005/06 season started the Pole was effectively his reserve. Disappointed with lack of first-team opportunities at Liverpool, Dudek rather curiously chose Real Madrid as his next destination where he had even less chance to become first-choice with Spain's number one, Iker Casillas, in goal rather than Spain's number two, Pepe Reina: "From being happy to play here and press Pepe, I knew I had to go somewhere to play every week," Dudek said. Since moving to Spain in 2007 he appeared just twice for Madrid's first team in La Liga and only a dozen times in total. He made his final appearance for Los Merengues on 21 May 2011 on his retirement from football, in an 8–1 home win over Almería, and was substituted in the 77th minute to a guard of honour from his Real Madrid teammates. 

Dudek came out of international retirement on 4 June 2013 to make his 60th appearance for Poland. He returned after four years' absence in a friendly against Liechtenstein, wore the captain's armband, the number 60 on his shirt and came off just before half-time to rapturous applause.