A former Leeds United star has reflected on a frustrating period during his time at Elland Road
I scored 59 Prem goals for Leeds and I'm angry they tried to sell me - now I work in a cafe Mark Viduka led the line for a high-flying Leeds United side but also faced tough moments during his time at Elland Road.
The former striker still recalls the frustration he felt as star players were offloaded due to the club's financial problems, leading to relegation in 2004. The 50-year-old spurned interest from Manchester United and AC Milan to sign a new five-year deal that summer.
He fired in another 17 goals across all competitions the following year, but would later clash with new manager Terry Venables during the 2002/03 campaign.had sold Rio Ferdinand and Robbie Keane that summer, and Viduka watched on as Lee Bowyer, Jonathan Woodgate and Robbie Fowler left during the campaign. Venables briefly dropped Viduka to the reserves as the club looked to cash in on him, which motivated the striker to score 14 in the last 10 games of the season upon being restored to the side.
“I was angry. Terry was my coach with the national team before then. The club wanted to sell me, they needed the money. But I took that very badly, you know?
” The iconic striker's goals helped Leeds survive the threat of relegation as Viduka used his frustration to propel the team to safety. Despite his laid-back personality away from the sport, Viduka admitted that football occasionally brought out a different side of his character. He added: “And at that moment, if Jesus came down to me, and said, ‘Come on, man, what are you doing?
’ I’d say, ‘Look, I love you, good bloke, what you’ve done for us and all that, but don’t get involved, mate. Stay out of it. ’” Viduka, who scored 59 goals in 130 league games, was ultimately sold to Middlesbrough after the club failed to beat the drop the following year.
However, he still has a soft spot for Leeds.
“I watch Leeds games. My boys watch every Leeds game. I’m happy Leeds are back in the Premier League,” Viduka said.
“I’ve got beautiful memories of my time at Leeds — before they started getting into financial difficulties. Going up against those big clubs in Europe — Real Madrid, Barca, Lazio — we were fearless. ” The former Australia star will also be keeping a close eye on how his country fare this summer, two decades on from captaining the Socceroos at the 2006 World Cup.
After retiring from football in 2009, he now“When I was playing, this used to be like a little pub,” Viduka recalled about the cafe’s location.
“I’d come up here for a beer, because it was a nice spot, with the terrace, the views. “We always said if this place came up, we’d go for it. We always wanted to run a cafe. We’ve been here for ten years now.
Croatia’s a beautiful place. Good lifestyle, safe, a great place to live…Especially if you’re not involved in football.
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