Jerzy Dudek claims one Liverpool starlet’s nickname ‘tells you everything about his talent’
Jerzy Dudek has heaped praise on one young Liverpool prodigy whose nickname ‘tells you everything about his talent’.
The goalkeeping hero of the 2005 Champions League final gave an interview to the Liverpool Echo in which he singled out compatriot Mateusz Musialowski, who’s been dubbed the ‘Polish Messi’ in some quarters.
The former Reds goalkeeper said of the 19-year-old striker: “I have seen a few bits of him on YouTube and he is a very talented player, very skilful. Little Messi. Let’s hope he’s going to make it.
“He has got great potential, but he needs to stay focused and out of the media. This can always be distracting, but he has smart people around him and the club can help him too.”
Regarding how Musialowski would handle the ‘Polish Messi’ billing, Dudek stated: “It depends on the character of the person. Some players take this as an opportunity to be bigger and they feel better with this nickname.
“I don’t think they are going to take it seriously, they are going to work for their own name in the future. It is always nice if someone can say you are more or like a young Messi, this is a big compliment. It tells you everything about his talent.”
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It’s understandable why Dudek is excited about Musialowski’s potential but sounding a word of caution about him not being burdened by the grandiose nickname bestowed upon him.
Whereas other teenagers at Liverpool such as Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic have broken into the first team, just as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones did before their respective 20th birthdays, the Polish striker has yet to make a competitive senior debut for the Reds (Transfermarkt).
He had an impressive scoring record for the club at under-18 level, netting 18 times in 31 appearances, but he’s only struck four goals in 32 games for the under-21s (Transfermarkt), finding the elder age grade altogether more challenging.
However, Musialowski has shown flickering signs of having something to offer to the first team, having been given a chance by Jurgen Klopp in pre-season last July and also scored a sensational solo goal in an under-18s game against Newcastle two years ago (Liverpool Echo).
Given the abundance of riches in the Reds’ forward line, the teenager will almost certainly need to go out on loan if he’s to have exposure to competitive senior football in the next year or two.
That ought to tell us a lot more about whether the ‘Polish Messi’ could light up Anfield over the coming decade, just as the Argentina legend has done at Barcelona and PSG for a number of years.
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