- Stephen Bunting bumped into a former Liverpool star in his Rotterdam hotel
- The 52-year-old played 184 times for the Reds between 2001 and 2007
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Darts star Stephen Bunting admitted he was ‘starstruck’ after bumping into a Liverpool legend this week.
The 40-year-old fan favourite was in the Dutch city of Rotterdam for Night 11 of Premier League Darts as he looks to build on an impressive victory in Berlin earlier this month.
Outside of his prowess at the Oche, Bunting is a die-hard Liverpool fan having been born in the city before growing up in nearby St Helens.
As such, it is perhaps no surprise that Bunting had been ecstatic to meet with one of heroes of the club’s 2005 Champions League-winning side.
In a post on social media, Bunting shared a photo of himself alongside Jerzy Dudek, having met the former Poland international while the pair were staying at the same hotel.
He wrote on X (formerly Twitter): ‘All the way to Rotterdam and this @LFC legend @Jurek_Dudek staying at the same hotel. Not very often I’m star struck.’
Liverpool superfan Stephen Bunting shared a photo of himself alongside club legend Jerzy Dudek
Dudek famously produced an inspired performance as Liverpool triumphed in the 2005 Champions League final
The 52-year-old also made more than 120 Premier League appearances during his six-year stint on Merseyside
Nearly two decades after that famous night in Istanbul, Dudek’s devotion to his former club is plain to see as the 52-year-old donned a LFC branded baseball cap.
Dudek first arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2001 as Gerard Houllier looked to bolster his options between the posts.
Despite competition from the likes of Chris Kirkland and Scott Carson, Dudek remained Liverpool’s No 1 during the 2004-05 campaign as Rafa Benitez led the Reds to the Champions League final.
Dudek would make a number of crucial saves during that fateful clash with AC Milan, including an improbable double stop in closing stages of extra-time to deny Andriy Shevchenko a winner before making a further two saves Liverpool triumphed on penalties.
Despite his heroics in the final, Dudek would find himself playing backup to the newly-arrived Pepe Reina just months later and was unable to wrest the starting spot back off the Spaniard before leaving for Real Madrid in 2007.
Faced with the unenviable position of trying to usurp Iker Casillas at the Bernabeu, Dudek would mainly serve as a backup during his four years in La Liga before hanging up his gloves in 2011.
