Mark Viduka

Mark Antony Viduka (born 9 October 1975) is an Australian former soccer player who played as a centre forward.

In 1993, Viduka started his professional career in Australia for Melbourne Knights (which up until the 1993 season was known as Melbourne Croatia) and became an Australian international in June of the following year.

In his two seasons with the Knights, he was top goal scorer in the National Soccer League (NSL) and was twice awarded the Johnny Warren Medal for NSL Best Player of the Year in 1993–94 and 1994–95.

His time at Melbourne Knights included one NSL title in the 1994–95 season.

The grandstand at Knights' Stadium, home of the Knights, was renamed the "Mark Viduka Stand" in his honour and paid for with his transfer money.

In 1995, Viduka moved to Croatia to play with Croatia Zagreb (now Dinamo Zagreb).

He spent three-and-a-half seasons with the club, helping it 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 UEFA Champions League group stage debut with the club a year later.

He won the Best Foreigner Footballer Award in the Croatian League in his time at Zagreb.

Celtic bought Viduka in December 1998 for £3.5 million.

In the same month as his signing, Celtic announced that Viduka had quit the club without kicking a ball for them, citing stress as his reason.

A week later, Croatia Zagreb complained that it had not received the agreed fee for the player.

These issues were eventually resolved and Viduka made his first appearance in a Celtic shirt on 16 February 1999, scoring for the under-21 team as an over-age player in a 4–2 victory against Motherwell.

After making his first team debut against Dundee United on 27 February 1999, his first goals for the club came when he scored a brace against Greenock Morton in the Scottish Cup on 8 March 1999.

He was voted Scottish Player of the Year for 1999–2000 after scoring 27 goals in his first full season at Celtic Park.

He was regarded as a skilled player, with Josip Šimunić noting his ability to hold the ball up well and bring other players into the game.

In February 2000, lower league team Inverness Caledonian Thistle defeated Celtic in a shock upset in the third round of the Scottish Cup.

During half time Viduka reportedly threw his boots in the bin and refused to play in the second half after an altercation with assistant coach, Eric Black.

The match ended 3–1 with Celtic fans in uproar.

In March 2000, Viduka assisted Celtic to win Scotland's 1999-2000 Scottish League Cup.

He left after his first full season at the club.

Leeds United manager David O'Leary signed Viduka just before the 2000–01 season for £6 million.

At Leeds, he was expected to line up in a three-pronged attack alongside the previous season's top scorer Michael Bridges and Australia teammate Harry Kewell, but injuries to those two saw him form a partnership with Alan Smith in Leeds' Champions League matches, while Robbie Keane – signed on loan from Inter Milan as cover for Bridges – also benefited in their Premier League matches together in the second half of the season.

In his first season, Viduka scored 22 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 and would star in both domestic competitions and Europe, with Leeds finishing in the country's top four in 2000–01, and fifth in 2001–02.

In the summer of 2001, Viduka was the subject of interest from A.C. Milan, whom he supported as a child, but the move ultimately did not happen, and held talks with Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but decided against moving across the Pennines to join Leeds' rivals.

In the 2002–03 campaign, Viduka scored another 22 goals, including a hat-trick in a 6–1 win at Charlton Athletic and the winner in a 3–2 victory at Arsenal on the penultimate day of the season that effectively saved United from relegation.

However, the club's financial crisis continued, and resulted in the sale of key players including Harry Kewell and Robbie Keane.

In the 2003–04 season, Viduka was again top scorer at Leeds, finishing the season strongly as was the case in the previous season, as interim manager Eddie Gray attempted to steer the club away from the Premier League trap door following the departure of Peter Reid in November after eight months as manager.

However, during his final appearance in the jersey, Leeds were relegated in a 4–1 loss to Bolton Wanderers at Reebok Stadium.

After scoring a penalty, Viduka was sent off following two yellow cards.

He was sold to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2004 as United's financial difficulties deepened.

Following Middlesbrough's League Cup victory in 2004, the club qualified for the 2004–05 UEFA Cup.

The squad was bolstered with a number of high-profile signings to cope with the increased fixture list and to ensure it could compete on the European stage.

Viduka was signed from Leeds for £4.5 million and unveiled as one of the marquee signings of the summer.

Viduka's debut season at Middlesbrough was initially impressive, albeit frustrated by injuries.

However, in his second season, the 2005–06 season, Viduka was in sensational form in all competitions for Middlesbrough, reaching double figures early on in the season, including a stunning volley away at Birmingham.

He played an important part in helping the club reach the League Cup quarter final, FA Cup semi final and UEFA cup final.

Viduka captained the Australia national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which remains their joint-best performance to date.

His four goals in the UEFA Champions League are the most scored by any Australian player.