Istanbul hero quits football

[Lee]

Always appreciate his contribution in Istanbul and I hope he enjoys retirement.

[CJ]

That first season he was amazing - I think we all thought we had a top number one for years to come. I remember Arsenal being in for him as well.

I don't know if it was the Man Utd game - I remember him coming back from the 2002 World Cup a less commanding / less confident player. Who could blame him, Poland were terrible in that WC.

I remember him telling a story of how awkward it was him flying in to Liverpool to be LFC's new keeper, and Westerveld was on the same Easyjet....

Legend status for destroying Shevchenko.

he was definately less of a keeper after that world cup.

Also never underestimate the corrigan effect

[lickedlollipop]

too bad he left for RM, tbh.. he could easily play 1st team football.

a legend!

[BG1973]

He gave up football when he signed for Real Madrid.

good luck to him.

[Mostar]

Bump.

He turned 40 today.




[ame="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyf8im_jerzy-dudek-silent-hero_creation"]Jerzy Dudek - "Silent Hero" - Video Dailymotion[/ame]

[Imy]

Champions League final apart, i didn't like Dudek keeping goal.
He had a great start and then went rapidly downhill, he always seem to be nervous as **** against Man Yoo, i suppose this may have accounted for the mistakes he always seemed to make against them.
Reina was and still is a much better keeper.

[Neil Young]

I agree about Reina but well done to Dudek too.

I don't know why another Istanbul hero, Djimi Traore, hasn't got his own thread about quitting football unless it's on the technical grounds that (a) he hasn't retired and (b) you can't retire from something you never took up in the first place.

[Gibbo]

There was me thinking this was a Traore thread.

[Gibbo]

For ****s sake Neil.

[Neil Young]

Ah Gibber, it's good to have you back, you moaning pony.

[Daniel 7]

Its easy to forget how outstanding he was when he came in to replace Westerveld. He seemed to be a different player when he came back from the 2002 World Cup with Poland, who were apocalyptically bad in defence. He seemed to be a less assured, less confident player.

Still, I love the quiet nod to himself after the double save from Shevchenko - I'm sure he wasn't the same player after that happened.

[Tee]

Dudek had an incredible night in Istanbul, but Rafa was 100% right in getting Reina in. For all Dudek's heroics that night, he was a distant (but appreciated) memory once Pepe took charge in goal.

[Daniel 7]

I agree, we ended up with a better keeper. Like I said though, his first season for LFC was brilliant. He just seemed to lose something after the 02 World Cup.

[Cormack74]

Its easy to forget how outstanding he was when he came in to replace Westerveld. He seemed to be a different player when he came back from the 2002 World Cup with Poland, who were apocalyptically bad in defence. He seemed to be a less assured, less confident player.

Still, I love the quiet nod to himself after the double save from Shevchenko - I'm sure he wasn't the same player after that happened.

That Sheva double save is the one and only time in my life that I've believed in divine intervention.

[Daniel 7]

His reaction to it was cool as ****