Jerzy Dudek

When Liverpool Football Club goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek saved the decisive penalty from AC Milan’s Andriy Shevchenko in 2005, it completed the most remarkable comeback in Champions League final history.


Dudek’s Istanbul heroics, his famous wobbly legs and dramatic double save in extra time secured his place in Kop folklore. It was a night of dramatic twists and turns that reflected Dudek’s own colourful rise to the pinnacle of his profession.

 

Born in Rybnik and brought up in a mining community in communist Poland, Dudek’s love of football would prove his escape route from the pits. Surviving life-threatening third-degree burns after an accident as a baby, he pulled on his first pair of goalkeeping gloves at a young age. It was the start of a career journey that led to Anfield and the Bernabeu, sharing dressing rooms with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Cristiano Ronaldo.


Dudek’s adrenaline rush after football came in the form of racing driving. He now races professionally, clocking speeds of up to 200mph, in high-octane events including the Dubai 24 Hour Race.


Jerzy Dudek: A Big Pole In Our Goal is more than a football story. It teaches us that sport and life give us the chance to rise above the odds and achieve the seemingly impossible.