Mark Viduka facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mark Viduka

Viduka playing for the Australian national team in 2005.
Personal information
Full name	Mark Antony Viduka
Date of birth	(1975-10-09) 9 October 1975 (age 49)
Place of birth	Melbourne, Australia
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1992–1993	Australian Institute of Sport
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1993–1995	Melbourne Knights	48	(40)
1995–1998	Dinamo Zagreb	84	(40)
1998–2000	Celtic	37	(30)
2000–2004	Leeds United	130	(59)
2004–2007	Middlesbrough	72	(26)
2007–2009	Newcastle United	38	(7)
Total		491	(202)
International career
1993–1994	Australia U20	20	(32)
1994–2000	Australia U23	21	(17)
1994–2007	Australia	43	(11)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Australia FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up 1997 Saudi Arabia OFC U-20 Championship Winner 1994 Fiji OFC U-23 Championship Winner 1996 Australia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mark Antony Viduka (born 9 October 1975) is a retired Australian football player who played as a centre forward. He was a powerful striker known for his skill and goal-scoring ability.

Viduka famously captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He led the team to the Round of 16, which is still one of Australia's best-ever World Cup results. During his career, Viduka played for famous clubs in Croatia, Scotland, and England. He holds the record for the most goals scored by an Australian player in the UEFA Champions League, with four goals.

Club Career

Starting in Australia

Viduka began his career in 1993 with the Melbourne Knights in his home country. He quickly became a star. In his two seasons with the Knights, he was the top goal scorer in the National Soccer League (NSL). He also won the league's Best Player award twice. In the 1994–95 season, he helped the Knights win the NSL championship. The team later named a grandstand at their stadium after him.

Dinamo Zagreb

In 1995, Viduka moved to Europe to play for Croatia Zagreb (now called Dinamo Zagreb). He played in Croatia for three and a half seasons. During his time there, he helped the team win the league and cup "double" three times in a row. He also got to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time.

Celtic

In December 1998, the Scottish club Celtic signed Viduka for £3.5 million. After a short break due to stress, he started playing for the team in February 1999. In his first full season (1999–2000), he was amazing, scoring 27 goals. His fellow players voted him the Scottish Player of the Year. He also helped Celtic win the Scottish League Cup that season.

Leeds United

In 2000, Viduka joined Leeds United in England's Premier League for £6 million. In his first season, he scored 22 goals. This included an incredible performance where he scored all four goals in a 4–3 victory against Liverpool.

Viduka was Leeds' top scorer for several seasons. In the 2002–03 season, he scored a winning goal against Arsenal that saved Leeds from being relegated (sent down to a lower league). However, Leeds had money problems and had to sell many of their best players. In 2004, the team was relegated, and Viduka was sold to Middlesbrough.

Middlesbrough

Viduka joined Middlesbrough in 2004 for £4.5 million. He had a great time at the club, especially during the 2005–06 season. He was a key player in the team's amazing run to the 2006 UEFA Cup Final. On the way to the final, Middlesbrough made incredible comebacks to win matches. Although they lost the final to Sevilla, it was a historic achievement for the club.

In his last season with Middlesbrough, he scored 19 goals. He is still the club's top goalscorer at their home ground, the Riverside Stadium.

Newcastle United

Viduka warming up for Newcastle.

In 2007, Viduka moved to Newcastle United. He scored his first goal for the team against his old club, Middlesbrough. He formed a strong attacking partnership with Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins. Together, they helped Newcastle avoid relegation during the 2007–08 season.

Unfortunately, Viduka struggled with injuries during his second season. He was released from the club in 2009 after Newcastle was relegated. This was the end of his professional club career.

International Career

Viduka had the choice to play for Australia, Croatia, or Ukraine because of his family background. He chose to play for Australia and made his first appearance in 1994.

Early Years and Olympics

Viduka played for Australia's under-23 team, the Olyroos, at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. In 1997, he was part of the Australian team that finished as runner-up in the FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored a goal against Mexico in the group stage but was sent off with a red card in the final against Brazil.

2006 FIFA World Cup

The biggest moment of Viduka's international career came in 2005. As captain, he led Australia in a two-match playoff against Uruguay to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Australia won a dramatic penalty shootout to reach the World Cup for the first time in 32 years.

At the World Cup in Germany, Viduka captained the team. He led them to a 3–1 victory over Japan, a 2–0 loss to Brazil, and a 2–2 draw with Croatia. Australia made it to the Round of 16, where they narrowly lost 1–0 to the eventual champions, Italy.

2007 Asian Cup

Viduka also captained Australia in its first-ever Asian Cup in 2007. He scored three goals in the tournament, including two against Thailand. Australia was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Japan. After this tournament, Viduka played his last match for his country.

Personal Life

Viduka is married to his wife, Ivana, and they have three sons. His father came to Australia from Croatia in the 1960s. He is a cousin of another famous Croatian footballer, Luka Modrić.

Today, Viduka lives a quiet life in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. He owns a coffee shop and enjoys making coffee for his customers. In Australia, fans often called him "V-Bomber" or "Big Dukes."

Career statistics

Club

International

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1 October 1997	Stade El Menzah, Tunis, Tunisia	Tunisia	0–2	0–3	Friendly
2	12 December 1997	King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Mexico	1–0	3–1	1997 FIFA Confederations Cup
3	19 August 2003	Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland	Republic of Ireland	0–1	2–1	Friendly
4	3 September 2005	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia	Solomon Islands	2–0	7–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
5				3–0
6	9 October 2005	Craven Cottage, London, England	Jamaica	3–0	5–0	Friendly
7	30 June 2007	National Stadium, Singapore City, Singapore	Singapore	0–1	0–3	Friendly
8				0–3
9	13 July 2007	Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Iraq	1–1	1–3	2007 AFC Asian Cup
10	21 July 2007	Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Thailand	0–2	0–4	2007 AFC Asian Cup
11				0–3

Honours

Melbourne Knights

• National Soccer League: 1994–95
• National Soccer League Cup: 1994–95

Dinamo Zagreb

• Prva HNL: 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98
• Croatian Cup: 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98

Celtic

• Scottish League Cup: 1999–2000

Australia

• OFC U-20 Championship: 1994 (U20 team)
• OFC U-23 Championship: 1996 (U23 team)
• FIFA Confederations Cup: Runner-up, 1997

Individual

• Oceania Footballer of the Year: 2000
• SPFA Players' Player of the Year: 2000
• NSL Top Goalscorer: 1993–94, 1994–95
• Johnny Warren Medal: 1993–94, 1994–95
• SPL Top Goalscorer: 1999–00
• FFA Hall of Fame: 2014
• Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee: 2021

See also

In Spanish: Mark Viduka para niños