“I’m a racing driver now, but i used to be a Champions League-winning cult hero at Liverpool”

While most players tend to wind down after retirement, one Liverpool icon chose to elevate the stakes by pursuing his passion for racing.

Retirement generally signifies a period of relaxation for soccer players after years of dedication and strain, but this was not the case for one of Liverpool’s most celebrated goalkeepers.

Jerzy Dudek, remembered for his pivotal role as the penalty shootout hero in Istanbul, sought a new thrill in his post-soccer life. The 2005 Champions League victor retired from football in 2011 at Real Madrid and made his farewell appearance for the Polish national team in 2013.

Dudek’s career change allowed him to embrace his longstanding passion for racing, a pursuit limited by his football career. In an episode of ‘Added Time’ on LFCTV, Dudek shared, “Motor racing was my passion before football. I raced go-karts but, of course, that stopped when I became a professional footballer. When I quit football, I also missed the adrenaline you got from playing.”

Dudek joined Liverpool in 2001 from Feyenoord and served as the first-choice goalkeeper under Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez until Pepe Reina’s arrival shortly after Istanbul. He retired from football in 2011 after joining Real Madrid as Iker Casillas’s backup and quickly embarked on his new career.

Dudek participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and secured his first win in the Class 2 Championship of the German Touring Car Masters series in 2013. “It really is like a footballer’s life,” he remarked. “You have the discipline, you have a mental coach and someone who’s analyzing your performances…there are similarities between playing in goal and racing a car.”

The 60-time Poland international continued racing, clinching victories at the Slovakia Ring in Bratislava in 2017 and 2018, and placing 6th in the FNVL Varin Race Marathon in 2019. “I’m taking in new tactics about cars, about different tracks,” Dudek said. “Of course, there are times when I ask myself why I’m doing this.

“I have a wife and three kids at home – a very nice life, and when you lose control or focus in the car, you can really get into trouble. But you need passions in life – they are what keep you going. Motor racing gives me a lot of joy and I’m loving it.”

At 51, Dudek maintains a racing profile on the Driver Database, having competed in the Volkswagen Golf Cup in Poland. “This is my hobby and my passion now. It’s too late for me to be a professional racing driver, so I know my level and I know how good I am and I always approach things with joy, with laughter and also focus because it has to be serious too,” he said.

“You can leave the funny things for outside of the car, but when you close the door and it’s just you and the car, with 100 cars around you on the track, then you think ‘wow, this is serious now, it’s not a joke anymore.’”

Dudek made 186 appearances for Liverpool over six years, winning the Istanbul Miracle, the FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and Community Shield with the club.