It's telling that we're all still talking about Dukes so long after he vanished from the world of football.

Now there's a pause in the global football news-cycle, we were indulging ourselves in a bit of nostalgia and, undoubtedly, Viduka is the first who comes to mind.

We remember the former Socceroos captain mainly for the way he struck the ball - there was nothing debatable about just how deadly he was from virtually any angle.

Just to give you a taste...

However, Viduka also captured a special place in history among the world's most enigmatic sporting personalities. Certainly Australia's.

His archetypal laid-back Aussie persona - often perceived as uncaring - sprung forth a plethora of quotes that have been firmly etched into global football folklore.

It's now a whopping 20 years since Viduka first joined Leeds United and exploded onto the world stage to become one of the EPL's most fearsome strikers. So we thought we'd take a slightly unusual - yet tremendously apt - form of celebration, and trawl back through the archives to uncover 10 absolute quotation belters from Big Dukes.

10. “I would not be bothered if we lost every game, as long as we won the league.”

Possibly Viduka's most famous quote came near the end of his career during his spell at Newcastle United, at the time an under-pressure club that were on a nasty form streak.

Viduka's attempt at calming down the Geordie faithful was in typical Dukes fashion.

9. "The Scottish press are mental. They made up so many things, they said I was in an asylum and went to some cuckoo place. It was ridiculous."

After excelling at Melbourne Knights, Viduka took off to the birthplace of his parents, Croatia, to join league powerhouses Dynamo Zagreb at just 19-years-old.

Despite playing for a club racked with controversy during a tough political transition spell in the Croatian capital, Viduka's natural talents shone and he soon escaped to what he believed to be a calmer, easier life at Celtic Park.

He was wrong. 

8. "If it's going to be like that I don't even want to play for Australia."

While Viduka is undoubtedly a national treasure and as he matured, deservingly became one of the Socceroos' most successful captains, he was often seen as divisive throughout his career for his approach to the national team. 

This quote, during his time at Leeds United, sums up much of that controversy. After a well-publicised bust-up with teammate and compatriot Harry Kewell, he accused then-Socceroos boss Frank Farina of being pressured to make Kewell captain over Paul Okon.

Farina never did make Kewell captain and thankfully, Dukes never followed through on his threat.

7. "I have this complex. I don't like too much exposure. I don't know why it is. Maybe it's bred in me, because my dad always told me to be humble and don't think you're too good."

There are a few quotes throughout Viduka's career that go some way to explaining that often talked-about approach to the game and the media.

In one of his final ever interviews for The Herald Sun in 2011, Viduka spoke candidly about how his upbringing - his parents had fled war-torn Croatia and struggled to adapt to Australian life - had determined his mindset.

"I had plenty of offers to do sponsorships and TV commercials, but it's just not in me," he continued. "I would love to get that out of me, but I just don't feel comfortable with it."

6. "I’m sort of a lazy player. I don’t really like running that much.”

From a quote that defines Viduka's personality to one that defines his playing style, Viduka freely mused at the beginning of his career that he didn't believe England would be suited to him, as he couldn't keep up with the pace of the game.

Once again, boy was he wrong.

While Viduka was often characterised as lazy throughout his career, so often the scorn of big strikers, the Australian could move deceptively fast when required. He also had an intimidatingly adept ability to read the game. Oh, and he could shoot from anywhere. That helps.

5. “Sleep.”

One of the most impressive aspects of Viduka's career is how his general demeanour never really changed, despite his fame.

Upon first signing for Leeds among great fanfare (he'd scored nearly a goal a game for Celtic and been linked with Barcelona), Viduka's response to the reporter's banal question, 'What do you enjoy outside of football?' gave a great insight into the decade to follow.

4. "When you're confident you can be standing on the edge of the box, somebody kicks the ball, it hits your arse and goes in."

A perfect example of the Aussie's humble approach was his response to scoring four goals against Liverpool, still one of the greatest feats by an Australian sportsperson on the world stage.

Viduka had undergone a tough start to his Leeds career and then entered the 2000 Olympics suffering from injuries. After he returned to England though, he was suddenly unstoppable.

From 2000 to 2007, Viduka could score from anywhere, with anything.

3. "I'm a libra so I have to balance things."

This one really speaks for itself.

2. "I don't really like being emotional. Public displays of emotion, I don't really do that sort of stuff. I don't know why. I would like to be the type that doesn't worry about that."

It's hard to define a footballer as inherently full of contradictions as Viduka. By his own admission, his life was "football, football, football" yet he never seemed entirely thrilled about it. Australia's immortal number nine was capable of incredible skill and petulance in equal measure. He seemed absorbingly patriotic for not just one, but two nations, and yet simultaneously, totally uncaring.

In many ways, Viduka's career and the amount of publicity it generated gives us all a brief insight into an introverted personality type that's often overlooked.

These days, elite footballers in the public eye are as much brands as they people. Viduka's career spanned this shift in the world game and his summation, near the end of his football journey, suggests a footballer not entirely comfortable with his own position in it. 

1. "I didn’t tell anyone I was starting, so why tell people when I finish?"

We were shocked to discover that this is one of the least remembered of Viduka's quotes, because it's the one that's resonated with us far more than any other.

Controversially, Viduka never played for Australia after the 2007 Asian Cup although he continued to play at the highest level with Newcastle United.

Eventually, injuries began to take their toll and one of the most dominant strikers of his generation quietly disappeared. The antithesis of the swansong parades and Indian Superannuation League cameos that accompany the world's best today.

In one of very few interviews since retirement, Viduka offered the above explanation for why he never announced his departure. It's sharp-witted, forthright, impudent and unintentionally brilliant.

Just like the man himself.