Whatever Happened To…Mark Viduka?...

Whatever Happened To…Mark Viduka?

The Irishman had just arrived to take charge of the Hoops a year after the introduction of the so-called ‘Dream

Team’ of Kenny Dalglish and John Barnes hadn’t quite gone according to plan.

The Hoops idol and the former England international winger, one-time team-mates at Liverpool, had been

ushered in the previous summer to a resounding fanfare, but the explosion of optimism didn’t quite match the

exploits on the field.

Barnes was sacked after the unacceptable and appalling 3-1 Scottish Cup loss to Inverness Caley Thistle, then in

the second tier, at Parkhead in February and Dalglish took over in a caretaker capacity until the end of a

campaign that saw them out of the title race in March.

The one ray of sunshine was a 2-0 League Cup Final win over Aberdeen with Viduka leading the line while Vidar

Riseth and Tommy Johnson claimed the goals.

Viduka had refused to come out for the second-half of the national trophy disgrace against the Highlanders with

the Hoops 2-1 adrift at the time. Former Arsenal veteran Ian Wright took his place and it was clear all was not

well within the walls of Celtic Park.

O’Neill arrived from Leicester City and insisted everyone would be given the opportunity to impress him. The

Australian international frontman, signed for the club by Josef Venglos from Croatia Zagreb for £3.5million in

December 1998, decided not to take up the offer of the incoming gaffer.

Controversy surrounded Viduka even before he had kicked a ball for Celtic. In the same month as his signing, the

Hoops announced that the striker had quit football to return to Melbourne, citing stress as his reason.

A week later, Croatia Zagreb complained they had not received the agreed fee for the player. These issues were

eventually resolved and Viduka made his first appearance in a Celtic shirt on February 16 1999, scoring for the

Under-21 team as an over-age player in a 4–2 victory against Motherwell.

Following his first-team debut against Dundee United on February 27 1999, his first goals came against Morton

in a Scottish Cup encounter when he fired in a double on March 8 1999.

The elegant frontman was voted Scottish Player of the Year in 1999/2000 after scoring 27 goals in his first full

season at the club.

However, he wanted out after the Caley Thistle debacle and, following a face-to-face showdown with O’Neill, it

was decided his leaving would be the best option for all concerned.

Looking back on his time in Glasgow and the false start to his Hoops career, Viduka observed: “I went through

hell in Zagreb. I told Celtic: ‘I need a break. I don’t want to come and hide and take the money’.

“I was honest with myself and with them. But it backfired.”