Viduka: an Australian great or underachiever?

 
dasilva Roar Guru

By dasilva, 19 Oct 2009 dasilva is a Roar Guru

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Mark Viduka’s Socceroos career is essentially over. Surprisingly, there haven’t been many articles, tributes or analysis of his career as a whole.

This is probably because we haven’t heard it from Mark Viduka’s mouth himself that it is all over.

Nevertheless considering he is holidaying away in Australia without a club as the football seasons is well into motion, we can safely say that barring a miracle, we are not going to see the Big Dukes in the Green and Gold ever again.

So how do we evaluate the career of this player?

On one hand he is probably one of the greatest players we have ever produced. On the other hand, people also view him as an underachiever both at club and international level and this “will he or won’t he” retire from the Socceroos issue for the entire Pim Verbeek’s reign has damaged his reputation amongst many fans.

To me both opinions are right.

Viduka is a fantastically gifted player and an absolute joy to watch. His ball control skills are unparalleled to any other Australian player including the great Harry Kewell himself. When it comes to controlling the ball with his first touch, there aren’t many players in the world who can match that.

He is also a natural goal scorer as shown by his record. He has dominated the NSL, in his early years scoring 40 goals out of 49 games for the Melbourne Knights.

Viduka had an excellent stint with Croatia Zagreb scoring a goal in every two games for that club. His goal scoring record for Celtic was also exceptional scoring 35 goals in 48 matches before moving to Leeds United where he excelled for four seasons including his famous four goals against Liverpool and making the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League.

For the Socceroos, Viduka was the focal point of the Australian national team during Guus Hiddink reign at the 2006 World Cup and we built the team around him. He was our play maker and his ability to hold the ball was essential in us in keeping possession, controlling the game and playing attractive entertaining football.

I am of the belief that if Viduka was fit and playing at the same level as he was in 2006, then this whole style debate that has plague Pim Verbeek reign would never have occurred.

It’s quite hard to play attractive attacking football, keep possession especially at the opposition half when your forward keeps on losing possession whenever the received the ball at his feet. I believe that Viduka’s absence is the difference between the dour Socceroos now and the relatively more exciting Socceroos in 2006.

Nevertheless the lack of goals Viduka scored for the Socceroos has always been a point of contention to many detractors. Also, people have always say that Viduka should have been scoring goals and winning trophies playing for big clubs instead of saving clubs from relegation.

According to Craig Foster during his conversation with Barcelona President Joan LaPorta, Viduka was the only Australian player they were seriously considered buying, but instead Viduka moved to Leeds United.

He has rejected offers from the likes of Roma and Valencia and spurn Champions League opportunities to stay in England. Fair enough that Viduka wants to put his family above his sporting career and you can’t blame anyone for that but it’s always gives us a “what if?” thought that we had a potential World Class player who never really showed his full potential

However, I guess we shouldn’t look at Mark Viduka on what he could have been but instead on what he has achieved.

He was a classy premiership standard striker, he was the focal point of the national team and I am grateful to have seen such a talented skillful player.

No matter how people may believe he hasn’t reached his potential, he is still the most talented Australian striker we have produced. I only wish he has a fitting farewell for the national team that he deserves instead of the inglorious elimination from the Asian Cup.

Mark Viduka, it has been a pleasure and I hope you enjoy the last few years of your career and your subsequent retirement.

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