What is Mark Viduka’s future?

A year out from the 2010 World Cup Australian striker Mark Viduka has a massive decision on his hands. Put simply, Viduka, 33, must decide if he wants to go and play with the Socceroos next year in South Africa.

On the surface it’s a no-brainer but typically there’s more to it.

Viduka, who skippered the Socceroos at the 2006 World Cup, hasn’t actually played for Australia since the failed 2007 Asian Cup campaign. Nevertheless, he’s still a wanted man by the Socceroos with national team boss Pim Verbeek publicly stating he’d welcome the big striker back with open arms.

But following an awful club season ravaged by injuries with English side Newcastle, Viduka’s future is unclear. Indeed, with Newcastle’s eventual relegation from the English Premier League it seems highly unlikely the North-East club will exorcise a third-year option on Viduka’s lofty contract and instead allow the Australian to move on from St James’ Park.

Besides for the prospect of being without a club, Viduka must also weigh up the question marks which remain about his ability to remain injury-free at the demanding top level.

But a run of decent games late in Newcastle’s Premier League campaign showed glimpses of the Viduka-of-old and that has given the Australian public renewed hope that the man dubbed the ‘V-Bomber’ would don the green and gold again.

Amongst all the uncertainty one thing is clear, Viduka is still undecided about his future.

Just last month, Viduka was invited by Verbeek to be part of Australia’s last three World Cup qualification matches against Qatar, Bahrain and Japan, but the big striker declined the offer.

At the time Verbeek told reporters, “He told me that after a difficult season that he needed a break from football to consider his future plans.

“Mark is currently out of contract and, while he is deciding what to do next, it would be difficult for him to fully concentrate on these important matches for Australia.

“We respect his decision and wish him all the best over the coming weeks as he makes his next important decision.”

And while Viduka turned down Verbeek’s offer then, the Socceroos boss went onto admit he hadn’t shut the door on the 33-year-old’s international career just yet.

“Definitely not. I have left another spot open for him. So it’s up to him, the ball is completely in his court,” Verbeek emphatically stated.

In fact it seems the Australia boss is eager to have Viduka on board in South Africa because of what the big striker offers to Verbeek’s preferred 4-5-1 formation.

The Socceroos got through the final round of World Cup qualifiers with a solid pragmatic approach built on defence and limited risk-taking. But such an approach sacrificed Australia’s attacking edge, leaving strikers often isolated and forward attacks regularly aimless. The fact that the Socceroos managed just two goals away from home in the fourth round of World Cup qualifying is evidence enough to support that claim.

But Viduka is someone who can play isolated. In fact, Viduka’s natural game is with his back to goal, holding up play and bringing other players into the game.

Socceroo Tim Cahill recently sung Viduka’s praises saying, “Playing off Dukes in the last World Cup, people question that he doesn’t get his goals, but he does all the ugly work, holds the ball up, makes us look good, makes me look good.”

That frontman role is something incumbent striker Joshua Kennedy has struggled to fulfil, so there’s no doubt about Viduka’s potential value to the Socceroos.

Nevertheless, while Viduka’s been mulling over a decision on his future, Australia went onto comfortably secure qualification for South Africa recently.

And while the ball is still in Viduka’s court, as Verbeek puts it, the clock is ticking.

Viduka’s Australian compatriot and former Middlesbrough teammate Mark Schwarzer eloquently put it last week that the big striker has got to decide whether he’s ‘fit, determined and hungry’ enough to return to the Socceroos frame.

Schwarzer said, “You’ve got to be crazy to say you don’t want a fit Mark Viduka, an enthusiastic, determined Mark Viduka in your squad.

“But they are the key words, he needs to be fit, to be determined and hungry, to want to still play.

“There’s no point having any player that doesn’t want to be there. You need players that are 100 per cent committed to the cause.”

And that’s exactly what Viduka will be weighing up, whether or not he’s committed enough, physically and mentally.

Footballers often testify that playing at the World Cup is the greatest honour a player can achieve.

After years of trying and failing with the Socceroos, Viduka finally achieved that honour in 2006 in Germany when he proudly wore the captain’s armband. But Australians still feel a sense of injustice about those finals after dramatically being knocked out by Italy in the last 16 after a harsh late penalty.

Perhaps that’s reason enough to inspire Viduka to end his self-determined national team absence and have another shot at the World Cup.

One thing Viduka will have to assess is his fitness after an injury-plagued season with Newcastle which saw him start just six games. By the time the World Cup rolls around next year, Viduka will be 34 and he would surely be questioning his ability to be at his best for the national team he loves.

And in the meantime, before the World Cup kicks off, there is the other important question of where Viduka will play his club football.

There has been some speculation of a potential to move to Croatia, where he started his European career and, of course, has links with through his family heritage.

There has also been hype about Viduka returning to his homeland to play in Australia’s A-League with his hometown club Melbourne Victory the suitors.

But whether or not playing at such a level in the lead-up to the World Cup would suffice remains to be seen and ideally Viduka would continue playing in one of Europe’s top leagues, but after a season where he was labelled ‘the Duke of Pork’ by his own fans, he may struggle to find potential suitors.

In saying that, the big Australian has carved such a great career for himself and thus created a good enough reputation to persuade a club to take a punt on him. And his performances with Newcastle late in the Premier League suggest he’s not done with just yet despite his injury troubles.

But as Verbeek puts it in his own Dutch way, the ball is in Viduka’s court, but he needs to make a decision soon.

Sure, for the first time in Australia’s history, the Socceroos have a full year to prepare for a World Cup. But also for the first time in Australia’s history, the Socceroos are expected to do well at the World Cup and thus adequate preparation is of paramount importance and issues like this needs to resolved quickly so the team can focus on it’s job of playing football.

For Viduka though, surely he must be attracted by the dangling carrot of World Cup and think that there couldn’t be a better hurrah to end his career.

The question is whether or not Viduka is willing to put his body and mind through another season at the top level to get there?

Hopefully, we’ll find out soon.

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