“All of a sudden we began to sell players and we got to the point where we were in a real fight to stay up. Before that Charlton game, we gathered around and said, ‘Look guys, we have to get together and dig deep. Even if we don’t win this, we have to not lose and put in a good performance.’ We were conceding too many goals – too many last minute goals too. That Charlton game turned the tide for us and helped keep us up.”

Despite surviving that season the following campaign – which included several match-winning goals from Viduka in March and April – saw Leeds relegated from the Premier League. All of Leeds’ remaining star players, Viduka included, were then sold-off at a cut price as the club prepared for the financial reality of life outside the top flight. Viduka remained in the north, with Middlesbrough this time.

“I had other offers at the time, but no one was as keen as Middlesbrough. It was a good guaranteed move because I didn’t have to move from my house! It was a safe move for my family because they were in a familiar environment. I enjoyed it. The personnel around the training centre and the people at the club made it good. Being a part of the club was nice thanks to the fans and the people involved,” says Viduka.

It was a strange first season for Viduka at Boro. Although he impressed when he was on the pitch, injuries stopped him from finding any kind of goal-scoring form. The following campaign, the 2005-06 season, was a very different story with Viduka in unstoppable form in all competitions for Middlesbrough, with his goalscoring in double figures early on.

As with Kewell at Leeds, Viduka found himself excelling in the ranks of a Premier League side with a fellow Aussie from our ‘Golden Generation’ of Socceroos. Both Mark Schwarzer and Viduka took to the field in May 2006 as Middlesbrough battled Sevilla in the UEFA Cup final. The Spanish swept Boro aside 4-0 that day though, as a campaign of mixed fortunes (Boro finished just 14th in the league) ended in disappointment.

The following season was Viduka’s last under contract at Middlesbrough, and after notching 19 goals there was much interest in the striker. And it was yet another northern English side that won
his signature.

“I was really excited about the prospect of signing for Newcastle. I played against them a few times with Alan Shearer, and I was a big admirer of Alan. I was also a big fan of the club.

“I signed a two-year deal at Newcastle in 2007 and I thought: ‘I’m going to do my best here’. I was getting older. Things started to affect me, niggles and injuries, but in the end I was disappointed I couldn’t play more games for them.”

Viduka proved less popular with Newcastle fans who felt their handsomely-paid striker was not doing everything he could to return to the fray. It’s an indictment Viduka strongly denies.

“I hated being in the physio room all the time,” says Viduka. “I love training with the ball. I wasn’t a guy who liked long distance running or short sprints… I loved being competitive and taking on players. When I couldn’t do that I was very upset.”

Viduka explains that he had a persistent Achilles problem at Middlesbrough, an injury he admitted it was possible to play with, but one that proved “very painful”.

At Newcastle, Viduka claims the injury worsened. “I’d go to training and strain it, and then it would take three weeks before I could walk again. It was frustrating because I couldn’t do anything about it.”

The 2008-09 season at Newcastle was another disappointing one for both the club and Viduka. With their striker out injured, the Toon were dragged into a relegation battle they were unable to stave off. There was hope up until the season’s end, including a 3-1 win over Middlesbrough in May which dragged Newcastle out of the relegation zone. Viduka produced a man-of-the-match performance to give fans hope. It wasn’t to be though as Newcastle slipped out of the top flight and Viduka was released from his contract.

After spending so much of his Newcastle career on the sidelines, alongside only being able to play with medical assistance due to his Achilles problems, Viduka had a big decision to make about playing on in the 2009-10 season. There was a huge carrot on offer if Viduka could get himself somewhere close to match-fit: the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

Fulham, led by experienced coach Roy Hodgson, came in for Viduka before that pivotal World Cup season.

“I thought about the injury and the fact I didn’t have the drive any more,” says Viduka. “When I went to Fulham I told Roy Hodgson about it and he respected me for it. I said, ‘Roy, I don’t have the drive, I don’t have the same excitement’. I thought, if I went into the club without the same drive that I needed, it can’t be good. Either I would get injured again or
not perform. I told them I couldn’t do it.”

And that signaled the end of the line for Viduka’s career. There was no farewell game. Just a sad limp to the sidelines as injury and lack of desire curtailed the Viduka express. Despite a clubless season, Australians hoped they would see him return, either at the World Cup or even for a final season in the A-League.

Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek certainly left the door ajar for Viduka if he could get himself fit ahead of South Africa: “I always said that Mark is always on the list when he’s fit and when he’s playing.”

But what of an A-League return? Was Viduka ever tempted by an Australian swansong?

“Both Melbourne Victory and Heart were interested,” says Viduka. “I didn’t really want to go anywhere outside of Melbourne. But again the question was my desire to play. If I didn’t have it to play in the best league in the world, would I have it here?

“I don’t really follow either of those two Melbourne sides but I probably would have picked the Heart because of my old mates Josip Skoko, John Aloisi and Clint Bolton. I had more people that I was close with at the Heart.”

We guess Heart fans can only dream what might have been, but Viduka concluded our interview by explaining that he is happy with retired life. He has a young family to look after, a yacht he likes to frequent in Croatia and plans to do his coaching badges alongside close friend Skoko.

He has not tied his flag to a definite career in coaching, but pending how he takes to studying for the badges, we might see Viduka return in a coaching capacity soon enough.

If he does take that role on the bench, we wonder how many of his future players will find themselves on YouTube watching their coach score that famous four-goal haul against Liverpool in 2000?

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