Leeds United icon Mark Viduka has revealed that he and fellow Australian international teammate Harry Kewell were barely speaking to one another during their time at Elland Road in an interview with ESPN.
What did he say?
Viduka and Kewell both played for Leeds during a golden period for the club, as they finished fourth and fifth in consecutive Premier League seasons and reached the semi-final of the 2001 Champions League.
Both players left the club within a year of one another as Leeds fell down the table, while they were also teammates with the Australian national team for a number of years.
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However, speaking in an interview with ESPN this week, Viduka said he reached a point where he wouldn’t even share a glance with his fellow Aussie.
“At Leeds, it got to the point, if Harry and I were in the sheds by ourselves, we wouldn’t even look at each other,” Viduka said.
“It was that bad. I had a problem with [Kewell’s agent] Bernie Mandic. Bernie was my agent when he took me from Celtic to Leeds, but I severed ties with Bernie.
“I think maybe our relationship at Leeds wasn’t that good because — and I can’t say for sure — I think that affected the way [Harry] viewed me. [The relationship is better now.] We last spoke in 2013.”
A sad ending that epitomised Leeds’ fall from grace
Just eight seasons after reaching the Champions League final, Leeds found themselves in League One – and they’re still waiting to return to the top flight.
Everything imploded in spectacular fashion as financial problems riddled the club, and in many ways this sour end to Viduka and Kewell’s relationship epitomises that sudden, drastic slide into the abyss.
Viduka and Kewell were not only countrymen but also partners in attack, playing 86 times together for the Yorkshire outfit. They should be close friends with such a shared history.
Unfortunately though, nothing lasts forever. Leeds fell off their perch and Kewell and Viduka haven’t spoken in seven years.
Maybe one day they can truly bury the hatchet.