Mark Viduka

Viduka in the jersey of the Australian national team ( 2005)

Mark Anthony Viduka [ ma ː (r ) k ʋiduka ] ( born October 9, 1975 in Melbourne, Victoria ) is a former Australian football player of Croatian origin. He played on the position of center forward.

Career

Clubs

Similar to Josip Šimunić also Vidukas career with the Melbourne Knights ( 1993 ), a multiple Australian champion, whose team was composed of Croatian immigrants began. In 1995, he was courted by Franjo Tuđman, the Croatian president and then left the club to switch to Croatia Zagreb. He remained there for three seasons and was with the club in each case to win the Double.

In the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League 1998/99 Croatia Zagreb turned off the Scottish champions Celtic. As Viduka then expressed his interest in a move to Scotland, he was obliged British Celtic for three million pounds in November 1998. He signed a four-year deal, left his new club in December 1998, but again, to have played without a single time. On 15 January 1999 Viduka returned to Celtic and stated that in the meantime an end to his career from stress reasons considered to have. In addition, there had been problems with the transfer of his transfer fee to Dinamo Zagreb, which could be eliminated only in April 1999. In February 1999, Viduka was first on the reserve team of Celtic, but then made his debut in the second half of the 1998/99 season in the Scottish Premier League. Sensation also caught his red card in the championship game against Dunfermline Athletic on 8 May 1999, which he had obtained for the spitting of the opposing midfielder Marc Millar and pulled the next fined a multi-week ban. Viduka scored in his first full season 25 goals in the championship, thus becoming top scorer in the Scottish Premier League 1999 /2000. In May 2000, he was subsequently elected to Scotland's Player of the Year.

In June 2000 Vidukas services were the English club Leeds United already worth six million pounds. There he played with Alan Smith, Robbie Keane and Harry Kewell together in attack. When he was 17 Goals become 2000/ 01 Third best in the scoresheet voted in January 2001 Oceania Footballer of the Year in 2000 and in the Premier League, he signed in June 2001 a new five -year contract with Leeds United. At the end of the 2002/03 season the club finished despite 20 goals from Viduka only 15th place and thus missed the participation in a European competition. The following season the heavily indebted club was second from bottom and were relegated to the Football League Championship.

Viduka moved in July 2004 to FC Middlesbrough, with whom he reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 2005/ 06. For the 2007/08 season, the striker moved free transfer to Newcastle United, where he signed a two-year contract. At the end of his first season for Newcastle Viduka suffered a hamstring injury that had a month break more result. In order to fail any longer, he gave up an operation and was instead fitspritzen at the beginning of the season 2008 /09. After the descent of the club in 2009 in the second-class Football League Championship, his contract was not renewed. A subsequent offer from Fulham refused Viduka and returned with his family instead returned to his hometown of Melbourne. After a long time without a club the father of three sons ended his career.

National

On June 8, 1994 and June 12, 1994 Viduka came in the 1-0 victory in the friendly matches against South Africa in his first two stakes in the Australian national team. Only in 1997 he was again considered and appointed captain later. This office he held also at the Football World Cup 2006. In September 2006, Viduka said after 37 completed games in which he had met six times, his retirement from the national team. But it was quickly followed by the resignation of resignation and Mark Viduka led the Socceroos also at the Asia Cup 2007 as team captain. Lost on 21 July 2007 at the penalty shootout against Japan quarterfinals was also Vidukas last international match for Australia.

Achievements

Croatian Cup: 1996, 1997, 1998
Croatian Cup: 1996, 1997, 1998
UEFA Cup 2005/ 06: Final collection
First knockout round of the Football World Cup 2006
Scottish top scorer: 1999/2000
Oceania Footballer of the Year: 2000

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