Australian and former Leeds and Celtic legend Mark Viduka was feted in Melbourne at the prestigious Johnny Warren Football Foundation gala evening. Many of Australia's greatest football personalities such as former Anderlecht star Eddie Krncevic and outgoing Socceroo coach Pim Verbeek were there to see Mark Viduka give a rare insight into his illustrious career.
Viduka is well known to be very private and shun the media spotlight. But in a candid interview Viduka shared some of his thoughts on his career.
When asked who was the defender he hated playing on the most Viduka replied "Martin Keown of Arsenal was the most annoying defender I came up against. He would always pinch me at set pieces!"
On not being a part of the 2010 World Cup campaign Viduka said, "My heart will be pumping very hard when I see the team run out against Germany in the first game. I loved playing for Australia and it will be sad not to be involved again. But my body started telling me when I turned 30 that it was getting harder and harder to play.
"In my last 2 seasons with Newcastle I was getting a lot of injuries and that really was disappointing as I could not give my 100% to the team."
"Football has been my life since I was a kid in Melbourne and all I ever did was train and play football. I was always involved whether it be in league games or representative teams. Then making the Australian Under 20 team and going to World Cup was huge.
"From then on my time in Australia was limited as soon after I went to play in Croatia after the former President of Croatia asked me to play there to help raise the profile of the new and young Croatia.
"I have now come back to Australia and my birthplace Melbourne. It has not been easy to readjust after living in England for so long and making so many friends there. But I want my wife and my children to settle back here and give them the life on Melbourne can.
"Having said that, Melbourne has changed so much in the 15 years I have been away, I find it hard to comprehend it at times.
"Nevertheless football has been so good to me even though I have experienced so many highs and lows at every level I have played at.
"Finally I want to say that fans and media should appreciate how great a job the current Australian team has done under Pim Verbeek. Where once we dreamed of making the World Cup now everyone in Australia expects us to qualify and play well along the way.
"It is not easy going to places like Qatar in 40 degree heat and get a result like the team has under Pim. One thing that the Australian team has had over the last 6 or 8 years is great team spirit and it is the team spirit that allowed us to come back from being 1 goal down against Japan at the last World Cup and win that game in the last 15 minutes.
"The current team still has that same team spirit so I think everyone should be really proud of the Socceroos.
"One of the most bizarre games I have ever been involved with was against Croatia at the 2006 World Cup. The English referee got the cards all wrong against my opponent and former team mate Josip Simunic. Joe should have gone off after his second yellow but ended up getting 3 yellows! Crazy stuff!
"I never let the referee forget that game when I crossed paths with him again in the English Premier League the following season.
The question everyone has been asked was still left unanswered by Viduka. "Will I play again? I have not made up my mind yet!"
