Viduka: Marko Anthony (Mark)

2000-2004 (Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Melbourne, Australia: 09-10-1975

Debut: TSV Munich 1860 (h): 09-08-2000

6’2” 14st 4lb (2007)

#19 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

Viduka, affectionately known as "Big Dukes", started his career in Australia with the Melbourne Knights in 1993, and became an Australian international in June of the following year. In his two seasons with the Melbourne Knights he was top goal scorer in the NSL and was twice awarded the Johnny Warren Medal for NSL Player of the Year in 1993/94 and 1994/95. Viduka's time at the Melbourne Knights included one NSL title in season 1994/1995. In 1995 he moved to Croatia to play with Croatia Zagreb (now Dinamo Zagreb). The grandstand at Knights' Stadium, home of the Melbourne Knights was renamed the Mark Viduka Stand in his honour and paid for with his transfer money. He spent three and half seasons with the club, helping them to win three "Doubles" in Croatia between 1996 and 1998. He was also part of the Croatia Zagreb team that reached the Third Round of the UEFA Cup in 1997 and went on to make his ECL group stage debut with the club a year later. After he had scored forty goals in seventy starts in League competition and six substitute appearances as well as two appearances in European competition for Zagreb, Celtic bought Viduka in December 1998 for £3.5 million. He was voted Scottish Player of the Year for 1999-2000 after scoring twenty-seven goals in his first full season at Celtic Park. He was regarded as a skilled player, able to hold the ball up well and bring other players into the game. Leeds United Manager David O’Leary signed Viduka just before the 2000-01 season for £6 million. With Celtic he scored thirty League goals from thirty-six starts and one game from the bench, as well as four goals in seven games in the Cup competitions and one goal in four European games. At Leeds he was expected to line up in a three-pronged attack alongside Harry Kewell and Michael Bridges, but injuries to those two saw him form a partnership with Alan Smith in Leeds’ ECL matches, while Robbie Keane also benefited in their EPL matches together. In his first season at Elland Road, Viduka scored twenty-two goals, including all four in a memorable 4–3 win over Liverpool at Elland Road. He signed a five-year deal in the summer of 2001. In the 2002-03 campaign Viduka scored another twenty-two goals, however Leeds' off-pitch financial troubles forced the club to sell key players, including Harry Kewell and Robbie Keane. This prompted speculation that Viduka would join the Leeds exodus with Barcelona confirming their interest in the Australian international along with Premiership clubs Liverpool and Manchester United. With the relegation of Leeds United to the CCCL, the sale of Viduka to Middlebrough was completed. Viduka's debut season at Middlesbrough was initially impressive, albeit frustrated by injuries. In the 2005-06 season however, Viduka was in sensational form in all competitions for Middlesbrough, reaching double figures early on in the season. He also played an important part in spearheading Middlesbrough's campaign in the UEFA Cup where they twice had to score four goals in a game to proceed. They eventually lost in the final to Spanish side Sevilla on 10th May 2006. With his contract due to expire at the end of the 2006-07 season, Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate expressed his interest in keeping Viduka. In August 2006, he was awarded the number nine shirt at Middlesbrough, his preferred number at all his previous clubs. Following another successful season, in which he scored twenty-one goals, Viduka attracted interest from other clubs who were hoping to sign him on a free transfer as he became out-of-contract. Southgate reiterated his wish to retain Viduka's services and revealed he would offer him a new contract. However Viduka joined North-East rivals Newcastle United on a free-transfer on 7th June 2007. He scored twenty-six goals in fifty-six League starts and another sixteen games from the bench, while in the Cup competitions he scored eight goals from sixteen games, including three from the bench and a further eight goals from eleven starts and three from the bench in European competition. In signing for Newcastle United, Viduka became Manager Sam Allardyce's first signing at the club. His contract was for two years, with the option of a third year. He made his Newcastle debut in a Premiership match at Bolton Wanderers on 11th August 2007 and scored his first goal for Newcastle on 26th August 2007 against his former club Middlesbrough. In an injury-riddled season Viduka scored seven goals in nineteen starts and seven games from the bench in League competition and two starts in the FA Cup in the 2007-08 season. After an injury lay off over the New Year, Viduka was brought back into the side by new Manager Kevin Keegan, where he played as part of a 4-3-3 formation along with Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins. This new formation brought about a change of fortune for Newcastle, as the three strikers rescued them from a relegation battle, with Viduka scoring two more goals over the rest of the season and setting up others for Martins and Owen before picking up an Achilles injury before the last game of the season. He was missing for six months but returned as a substitute against his former club Middlesbrough on 29th November 2008, after fears that his career might end prematurely. Another injury followed in late December, this time it was a groin injury, which prompted Viduka to assert that he was not looking to retire and had an option beyond the current season. With Viduka absent Newcastle had a form slump and when he had recovered Alan Shearer rushed him back into the team in its fight against relegation. He gave a man of the match performance in a 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough and had a goal disallowed against Fulham, but in the end Newcastle were relegated. He was released by Newcastle and was linked with a number of clubs but in the end he decided to return to Australia to live but did not join an A-League club. He was at Newcastle for two seasons which were blighted by injury and he scored seven League goals in twenty-five starts and thirteen appearances from the bench and also made two starts in the F.A. Cup. He captained the Australian National team from September 2005, after taking over from the injured Craig Moore. Viduka thrived under Guus Hiddink's tenure as coach of the national squad and led Australia as it qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany for the first time in thirty-two years that Australia qualified to participate in the event. On 21st May 2006 he was named as the Australian captain for the World Cup. He also led Australia's national team to their first World Cup Finals victory with a 3–1 win over Japan in June 2006, as well as guiding them through an encounter with Brazil, losing 2–0, and a controversial meeting with Croatia, which ended in a 2–2 draw. He led Australia into the second round, where they narrowly lost to Italy. Although a regular scorer in the EPL, Viduka had struggled to score any significant goals for the Socceroos, and the 2006 World Cup was no different. Viduka considered retiring from international competition after the 2006 World Cup, citing increasing family commitments as the primary reason. However, in September 2006 he confirmed that he would continue playing for Australia and intended to compete in the 2007 Asian Cup. On Australia's first ever Asian Cup participation, Viduka captained the side and he scored their solitary goal against Iraq, a game which they ultimately lost 1–3. In the next match he scored two goals against co-host team Thailand, defeating them 4–0. At one stage he led the goalscoring at the Asian Cup tournament, although his team was eliminated in the quarter-finals in a penalty shootout against Japan. It was not known whether he will continue his international career. Two years on from the 2007 Asian Cup, he had still not made an appearance for Australia citing injuries or club commitments. He missed the World Cup Qualifiers against Qatar, Bahrain, and Japan, even though fully fit and was not selected in the final squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.