Marquee Middlesbrough signing from Leeds United likely to leave mixed emotions: View | OneFootball

The early part of this millennium were heady days for Middlesbrough Football Club, with cup finals, European sojourns and all manner of star players gracing Teesside.

Boro were flying high in the summer of 2004 after claiming their first ever trophy in their 128-year history with their recent League Cup success, and were ready to compete in the Premier League as well as across the continent in the following campaign.

With their newfound allure for some of Europe’s hottest talents, a number of big names made their way to the north east that summer, including the likes of Ray Parlour, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Mark Viduka.

The latter came at a reported expense of a reasonable £4.5 million from bang-in-trouble Leeds United, and went on to become one of the club’s finest strikers in recent times during his spell at the club, but it is his exit from the Riverside three years later that could still ruffle some feathers among the Boro faithful.

Mark Viduka career: Celtic, Leeds United, Middlesbrough

After impressing for Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, Viduka was snapped up by Scottish giants Celtic at the end of 1998, before going on to become one of the most-feared strikers in the land with a record of 30 goals from his 36 league games for the Bhoys.

That form was enough for Leeds to part with a reported fee of around £7 million to acquire the Australian international’s services in 2000, as he went on to become a mainstay for a side competing domestically as well as in the Champions League.

Back-to-back braces against Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton Athletic immediately endeared himself to the Elland Road faithful, before a performance for the ages against Liverpool, which saw him net all four in a 4-3 victory over the Reds.

The striker was spearheading an attack which defeated the likes of Lazio and Deportivo La Coruna on the continent, as the Whites reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in his first season with the club, as well as a fourth-placed Premier League finish.

Viduka finished top scorer for the club in all competitions in each of his four seasons in Yorkshire, but was unable to stop the slide as United’s financial issues got the better of them in 2004, and they ended up dropping out of the top tier.

The former Celtic man was way too good to be plying his trade in the second division though, and Boro snapped him up during the summer of 2004 for a cut-price fee as they competed on the European stage for the first time.

The Teessiders saw an immediate return from their investment as the Australian netted five times in his first four appearances for the club, with a debut strike against Fulham backed up with braces against Birmingham City and Banik Ostrava of Czechia.

Injuries blighted his season after Christmas as he only found the net seven times in his first season at The Riverside, but it was the following campaign where it all clicked into place for player and club in a history-making season for Boro.

Viduka helps history-makers Middlesbrough in UEFA Cup run

Viduka’s physical presence at the business end of the field proved to be a constant thorn in plenty of sides throughout the course of the campaign, as Steve McLaren’s side reached at least the quarter-final of every knockout competition they entered that season, although they were saving their best displays for European nights under the lights.

Xanthi, Grasshoppers Zurich, Litex Lovech were all disposed of in the early stages before away goals victories over Stuttgart and Roma saw them through to the quarter-finals where FC Basel lay waiting, and little did anyone know one of the greatest European ties of all time was set to erupt.

After a 2-0 away defeat, Boro had it all to do in the return leg at The Riverside, and even more so once Eduardo gave them the advantage on the night to claim a vital away goal.

But Viduka had other ideas, and quickly got a goal back for his side with a powerful drive, before netting the other side of half-time to really make things interesting.

Viduka’s experience in these European ties was proving valuable as Boro chased the seemingly impossible, with his perseverance helping to break down the Swiss defence, as Hasselbaink made it three on the night, before Massimo Maccarone etched his name into folklore with the dramatic late winner.

Another barnstormer against Steaua Bucharest followed in the semi-final, with the Australian once again among the goals as his side came back from 3-0 down on aggregate to win 4-3 with Maccarone the late hero for the second time.

Alas, it was the third time unlucky for Boro in the final, as Sevilla strolled to a 4-0 victory, but that European adventure, and Viduka’s part to play in it will always hold him in high regard at The Riverside, although his departure the summer after will have tainted that somewhat.

19 goals in 37 appearances in 2006/07 made Viduka a wanted man once again, and despite being offered a new deal to stay at The Riverside, the Australian made the short move up the coast to Newcastle United, a move that will wrangle plenty of Teesside ticket holders.

To be snubbed for those up the road will never sit well with Boro fans, having played second or even third fiddle to Newcastle and Sunderland in that region of England for most of their history.

As is so often the case, the returning hero made his mark with his new side at the start of the following season, finding the net in a 2-2 draw when he visited with the Toon Army to rub salt in the wounds of his previous employers.

Seven goals in his 38 league matches on Tyneside will have been music to the ears of Boro fans, as he failed to recreate his form with the Magpies during an injury-ravaged spell at St James' Park, leading to his retirement from the game at just 33.

He came, he scored, he conquered. Mark Viduka will always go down as one of Boro’s greatest purchases as the club reached its absolute pinnacle with a fairytale European run still talked about to this day.

Players always come and go, but to leave for a side’s local rivals will have hit hard and leave a sour taste in the mouth, but they’ll always have those memories of Basel and Bucharest to savour.