I scored four against Liverpool in a Premier League match, now I run a coffee shop in Zagreb and play in my son’s band
THIS former Premier League star once bagged four goals for Leeds as they beat Liverpool 4-3 in an all-time classic.
But he has now left that life behind for a quaint existence as a coffee shop owner in stunning Croatia.
North of Zagreb, in the country his parents hail from, is where this top class ex-centre forward now resides.
And, as someone that never enjoyed the “b****cks” of top-flight football, Mark Viduka wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I left Australia to sign for Croatia Zagreb aged 19 and fell in love with the lifestyle,” Viduka admitted to the Mail.
“And we’d always wanted to run a cafe, for fun really, one where everyone was welcome. So here we are.
“Listen, my missus does all the work, I just sit here and drink coffee!”
It was in November 2000 that an inspired Viduka, scorer of 269 career goals, powered David O’Leary’s side to a thrilling 4-3 triumph over Liverpool.
His stunning four-goal salvo would go down in folklore… but Viduka himself doesn’t even think he was that good.
He continued: “I didn’t play that well. Some bad touches, poor hold-up play, that stays in your mind.
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“I had four shots that day, scored four goals. How often does that happen?”
Quizzed what he does with his spare time, when he’s not sipping espressos in his coffee shop, Viduka revealed his musical passion.
The affable Aussie said: “Other than drink coffee? I play the guitar. My son, Oliver, is a drummer in a band.
“When one of his mates can’t make it, I jump in. We use our basement. The neighbours aren’t very happy about it! Me and the boys love Arctic Monkeys. The lyrics, man, genius.”
Viduka’s coffee shop is called Non Plus Ultra, translating as No Higher Point.
Goran Ivanisevic is among the stars to frequent Non Plus Ultra, and on the Croatian tennis legend, Viduka added: “A good guy.
“You know what else we have? The manager of UB40 runs a local brewery. We’ve got his beer, it’s lovely.”
The 47-year-old first became a hit in the UK with his scoring exploits for Celtic, leading to a move to Leeds in 2000.
Four years later, after 59 goals in 130 top-flight matches for the Elland Road club, he joined Middlesbrough for £4.5m.
He helped them to reach the 2006 Uefa Cup final but angered supporters when he left the club as a free agent to join bitter North East rivals Newcastle in 2007.
Viduka only managed to score seven times in the Premier League for the Magpies during an injury-plagued two-year spell before retiring in 2009.