Istanbul hero quits football

The man who made that unforgettable extra time save from Shevchenko in the 2005 Champions League final and then followed that up with crucial saves in the penalty shoot-out, received a rapturous ovation from fans and teammates alike as he left the field for the final time after Madrid's 8-1 victory on the final day of the La Liga campaign.

Dudek's name will forever be etched into Anfield folklore following his Istanbul heroics - and back in 2007, two years after that nerve-shredding final, we caught up with our big Pole to ask for his memories of that dramatic night.

Here is that interview once again in full.

If you're reading this, Jerzy, then best of luck in whatever you choose to do next from everybody at Liverpool Football Club.

Jerzy, when was the last time someone stopped you in the street to talk about Istanbul?

To be honest every time I go out everyone is asking me about the final. They all have their own point of view and opinions about the game. Every time I go out in Liverpool or Manchester it still happens and they still ask 'how was it in Istanbul?' It still stays with them which is good. My friends always ask me what the fans say to me when I meet them in the street and to be honest a lot of the things I can't repeat here. They talk about the Dudek dance and my shaky legs, they ask me about my saves and the atmosphere in the stadium. Most importantly to me though, they speak about themselves as well. One moment in particular stands out for me and that was when we were 3-0 down at half-time and as we walked back to the dressing room down the tunnel, the fans were on their feet singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. We were 3-0 down and still they were singing songs. It was just fantastic! At the end we won it because of them. They lifted us up and helped us to believe that we could achieve it."

What was the mood like in dressing room after going into the break 3-nil down?

"At half-time, the fans had a lot more faith than I did. Sitting in that dressing room, if I'm honest, I wasn't thinking this could turn out to be the greatest night of my life. I was thinking no more goals, please. You have to believe in something but it was 3-0!"

Did Rafa talk to you personally at half-time?

"The manager told me to keep my head up but it was very hard. I was angry but I knew I had to be focused for the second half. I remember a final from three or four years ago that ended up 5-0 and that was on my mind. You can never give up though and you always have to believe in yourself. You always hope. Personal pride comes into it but we just couldn't subject the fans that had travelled so far to see us to any more pain. Then something strange happened in the second half. I don't know whether it was a miracle but it was just unbelievable and it's quite difficult to understand. When you play football you have to realise that you're playing for the people. In Istanbul, particularly in the second half and during extra-time, that's exactly what we were doing - playing for the people. We worked hard to pull ourselves back into the game. When teams from Europe play against English teams like Liverpool they are all afraid. Even when they're three goals up, they are afraid to concede a goal because they know what can happen. I think Milan were afraid when we scored the first goal and then scared when the second goal came just after. They simply couldn't do anything about the third because that's the power of Liverpool."

If you had to pick one highlight from the whole Istanbul experience what would you choose?

"When we came out of the tunnel to play the second half it was the greatest moment of my life. When I came out we were losing 3-0. I can still feel it when all the people were standing up and singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. I said to myself this is incredible, we're losing 3-0, second half to play, walking out of the tunnel and these people are still singing. It was unbelievable. It was the most fantastic moment to me. I don't want to mention any particular saves because this was something I had never experienced in my life."

Even before the game went to penalties, it started to look like it could be your night after all...

"After the goals made it 3-3, people talk about my save against Andriy Shevchenko but in the end I just did my job. I was prepared for the first shot and I saw it arriving. I saved it but for the second one, I just wanted to stand up as quickly as I could and just get as close to the ball as I can. Schevchenko thought it was so easy to put the ball into the net and that's why he did what he did. He shot as hard as he could and the ball hit my right hand and went so high over the crossbar. I don't know whether it was me or someone else who claimed that it was the hand of God that made the save but it certainly seemed like it because the hand came from nowhere. I was just on my knees and I couldn't stand up because it was so quick. It was certainly a miracle."

What do you remember of the penalty shoot-out?

"I remember everything from the penalty shoot-out. I was so focused. I was waiting all the time for the player to take the shot and then dive for the ball but that's not easy with penalties as the shooter waits for the goalkeeper too. When it came to the final penalty, it wasn't like I'd saved it and then thought 'Yes, we've done it!' It was like, 'I've saved it, is it finished or not?' Then I saw Jamie Carragher racing towards me and I knew it was all over. That was when I started to enjoy the night. It's so hard to put it into words what we all felt, but it was just this big, big happiness. I just kept thinking, 'We did it!' We were all enjoying ourselves out there and we wanted to stay on the pitch all night because the feeling was so good."

Fans have said that when you made that save it was the greatest moment of their lives. Was it the greatest moment of your life?

"Yes, definitely, there is no question about that. It was fantastic and really, really full of emotion. When I came back to Poland my wife met me because she couldn't be there. She watched the match on the big screen with all of my friends; I think about 50 of them. Then after the game they went to my village to find my parents and say thank you to them. I have seen this video afterwards and I felt really emotional that people felt the same. Fantastic!"

What was the first word you said when you saved the penalty from Shevchenko?

"Yesssssssssssss! I think everyone said the same! Everyone said those words and we did it, we did it, we did it! You can't describe it actually - it was fantastic, a fantastic moment."

Looking up from the pitch towards the fans in the stands must have been a special sight...

"I don't know who was having a better time - us or the fans? They were crazy before the game even started. I've since seen footage of fans in the pubs before the game and those scenes bring a tear to my eyes. They deserved that night and that feeling because they'd waited 20 years for it. After all the preparations they made to get to Istanbul with their songs, their flags and their beer, it was like one big family. Everyone was together singing songs and it was fantastic to see. I think the positive influence of the fans transferred into the team in the second half. My son told me he was keeping his fingers crossed and for the first time he was watching his daddy for the whole game. Everyone who was watching that game was thinking positive even when we were 3-0 down. The people I meet on the street always say, 'Jerzy, even at 3-0 down we still believed we would do it!'

How many times have you watched the video of that final?

"I only watch the penalties. In the holidays straight after the final we had a game with the national team and I said I don't want to see anyone, I just want to focus on this game but it was impossible. Everybody was asking me about the final and the coach came to me and said 'Jerzy please, just switch off and don't answer any questions about the game. Let's play this game and then you can enjoy your celebration for as long as you want'. I did it. We won it 3-0 in Azerbaijan and it was fantastic. Actually, when I was away with the national team, straight after the Champions League final my wife phoned me and said 'May was a very lucky month for you' and I said, 'I know, I know'. She said it wasn't only because you won the Champions League but because I'm pregnant. We have a daughter and I called her Victoria because of the Champions League final and I spend all of my time with them now."

Do you keep in touch with any of the players who were there in Istanbul but have since left the club?

"Yes, especially with the Czech players. I spoke to Vladi when we played away at Bordeaux in the group match and I speak with Milan Baros. I'm still in touch with Igor and Didi still lives where I live, in my village. So, yes, we still keep in touch. It was a fantastic achievement with a fantastic group of players. We still have a fantastic group of players with a good spirit."

How does it feel to know that you've played in a game that will never be forgotten?

"It's a special feeling. I personally think it was the greatest final ever and I don't know if there will ever be another final like it in the future. I hope Liverpool will win a lot more finals but I don't think it will happen in the same way. That is something that only happens once in the whole of your life. I was only just born when Poland drew 1-1 with England and everyone still talks about that game now. For us Polish people, the England game was the game of the last century. Maybe Liverpool winning the Champions League will be the game of the new century? When I think back to that night in Istanbul, I am happy for myself and my teammates but I'm much happier for the people. They will always stay with the club and want us to win more trophies. The players may move on to other clubs or hang up their boots and retire, but the fans stay through the good times and the bad times. Liverpool are the people's club. At the end of the day, you have to do everything for the people. They are the ones that come to see you and want you to win trophies for them. Hopefully that night we gave them what they deserved."