Jerzy Dudek: From Liverpool goalkeeper to 24-hour racing driver
"It really is like a footballer’s life. You have the discipline, you have a mental coach and someone who’s analysing your performances...there are similarities between playing in goal and racing a car."
It's fair to say that Jerzy Dudek's choice of hobby following his retirement as a professional footballer is anything but typical.
Since playing his final game for Poland in 2013, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid goalkeeper has taken up life as a racing driver.
"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 explains, in the latest episode of the new LFCTV series 'Added Time'.
"Now I’m taking in new tactics about cars, about different tracks. 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."
LFCTV GO: Watch the latest 'Added Time' episode in full
LFCTV caught up with Dudek, who made 186 appearances for the Reds between 2001 and 2007, in Barcelona, where he was competing in the 24H Series - an international endurance race competition.
"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 adds.
"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'."
Episode four of ‘Added Time’ premieres on LFCTV at 7pm GMT tonight, and catch up on the series throughout the week on our official channel and LFCTV GO.
