Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Farewell Dudek



When Liverpool walk back into the dressing room after the final home game of the season on Sunday, a lone figure will remain standing on Anfield's hallowed turf.
For the match is not only the fans' opportunity to wave goodbye to our Athens-bound heroes, it's also their last chance to bid farewell to an Anfield legend.

It is with a heavy heart that Jerzy Dudek will leave the club in the summer, and the Pole has a little bit of unfinished business before he departs.

"I have 40,000 thank-yous to say, so it will take me a while," the 34-year-old told LFC Magazine.

"It would be nice to play in the last game against Charlton. I would get to walk around the pitch and take it all in. I could hear the fans singing again. I don't know if it will be possible, it's up to the manager when he picks the team.

"I just want to say goodbye. If it is not possible then I will be the last person left on the pitch after the Charlton game."

Dudek's decision to leave is a result not of any personal differences, nor any ill-feeling towards the club.

In fact, he insists he would have been happy to remain at Melwood for the rest of his career had he been selected to represent Poland in last year's World Cup.

So, what's next for one of our heroes of 2005? Well, one thing's for sure: he won't ever be coming back to Anfield as an opposition keeper.

He said: "I just can't imagine walking into Anfield on matchday, walking out of the tunnel and going down to the Kop end – and then hoping to see Liverpool lose.

"This club has been my life for five years. I have become much more than an employee – I am a fan.

"I don't know how I will feel when I walk out of this place for the last time, but I imagine it will be very emotional and I can see tears in my eyes. I am not looking forward to it at all." -LFC.TV-

As a liverpool fan,
the memory of Istanbul will remain in my mind.
Jerzy Dudek is an Anfield legend.