"I had to learn it over time, Viduka says when asked whether his serenity was a superpower. I played a lot of games where I was very nervous. When I was younger, I might just have belted it and hoped for the best. Viduka chuckles as he recalls a game early in his time at Croatia Zagreb, now called Dinamo Zagreb."
"He joined in 1995 and in the Eternal derby against Hajduk Split he was one-on-one with Tonci Gabric. He admits he panicked. There was huge expectation, and a roar from the crowd. Somehow, I hit it with the outside of my foot and it went through the keeper's legs. All the commentators thought I did it on purpose and I'm thinking: Thank God that went in.' That was one of 52 goals he scored for Zagreb."
Mark Viduka scored four goals in Leeds's 4-3 victory against Liverpool at Elland Road and finished both starts and endings with delicate chips. Viduka cultivated a calmness after early career nerves and occasional panicked moments. While at Croatia Zagreb (now Dinamo Zagreb) he experienced intense derbies, scored 52 goals, and once scored after panicking in a one-on-one with Tonci Gabric. Viduka now runs a coffee shop in Zagreb with his wife. His parents migrated from Croatia to Melbourne, he faced ethnic taunts growing up, trained at the Australian Institute of Sport, and progressed to the Melbourne Knights first team by 18.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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