Where Will The V-Bomber Land?

By: Marcus | September 17th, 2009

With Mark Viduka calling time on his European career, the race is heating up to see who will sign the Ex-Australian International star, or whether he will just call it quits altogether.

After 497 games of professional football, 237 goals and playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world, Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb and Newcastle United to name a few, Mark Viduka has called it time and decided to come back to Melbourne, where his life and career started.

Viduka celebrates
(I would like to apologise for putting a Newcastle picture here, but there were no good Aussie ones)

It is yet to be seen if he will retire or play on, one thing is certain, for those clubs that want him its game on!

Viduka has stated that he wants to return to Melbourne, so that rules out interstate clubs and leaves just 3 clubs in the running.

That is Melbourne Victory, where three years ago he was appointed international ambassador. There is virtually no chance of him signing a regular player contract with us as I very much doubt that he would accept a pay packer of $100,000 a year. (our remaining salary cap) Though, I hope to god we sign him as a guest player, this will mean his wages will not be in the salary cap, but he will only be eligible for 13 matches.

Melbourne Fart, the new team that will be introduced into the A-League next season. One would think that with a big internationally know gun like Mark, Fart’s would make it there priority to make him there marquee man. Though I don’t know if Dukes would want to comeback to Australia and have the pressure of being a marquee player, if he can’t cope with the pressure (due to his body falling apart) he could be diagnosed with…Aloisi-itise…Please Mark don’t do that to yourself!

Melbourne Knights are also an option. If he decided he wanted to play but not in the spotlight of the A-League he may join the club where it all started. Alternatively he could join them for a short stint if he was to sign for Fart so he could regain match fitness…but i think the VPL has finished so there wouldn’t be much game time there.

It will be interesting to see what Duke’s decideds to do, I’m 99% sure of one thing though, if he joins a team it will be Melbourne…….

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In case you missed here is an interview with Adrian Leijer about his journey so far, written by non other than the talented Chris Paraskevas. I must give it to you Chris, its the only article I have read that you have wrote that hasn’t left me thinking ‘I want what he’s on!’.

I’m off to Adelaide for the match!!!!!!! I will post about the experience if I make it back…