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He was a fearsome striker who tormented Premier League defences and is counted among the greatest Australian footballers of all time – but he now spends his days running a coffee shop.

Back in his playing days, Mark Viduka’s record spoke for itself – 92 Premier League goals from 240 appearances for Leeds United, Middlesbrough FC and Newcastle United.

The former Celtic man wasn’t a one-season wonder. He put in a number of unforgettable performances, including a four goal haul in a 4-3 Leeds win over Liverpool in 2000.

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Viduka, now 50, also boasts 43 Australia caps and was the country’s captain during 2006 World Cup, leading them to a round of 16 defeat to eventual winners Italy.

By the end of 2009, though, he had hung up his boots, choosing to step away after suffering several injuries and tiring of the relentless pressure. As Viduka put it, he didn’t want to be a “f***ing idiot” lingering past his prime.

Fast forward to today, and Viduka and his wife run a modest café called Non Plus Ultra in Croatia. It sits quietly in the Zagreb hills, serving locals, tourists and occasionally a high-profile customer or two. One of his regulars is former tennis great and Wimbledon champ Goran Ivanišević.

Dad of three Viduka was born in Melbourne, Australia, to a Ukrainian-Croat mother and a Croatian father. Luka Modric, a Croatia legend, is his cousin.

These days, he's entirely at ease behind the cafe counter, telling ESPN: "It's great to do something different. You make a bad coffee, you throw it in the bin. I try and make the best coffee as I can, though. I think I've become pretty good at it."

He still considers himself a chilled Australian who’s happy to keep a low profile. Viduka previously told the Daily Mail: “I wasn’t obsessed with fame, at all. I didn’t like it. I still don’t. I wasn’t obsessed with money, that came as a by-product. You’ve seen what football is like, a lot of dishonest people who try to shaft you. But I always tried to stay true to myself.

“Maybe that’s why there is this negative perception, because I didn’t conform. I was born and raised in Australia but my parents were Croatian.

"I have that Aussie tolerance but I also have my Croatian side, I’ll stand my ground if I believe in something. It’s about being honest with yourself.

“A lot of players suck up to fans, coaches, journalists, and everyone loves them. But what sort of people are they when you remove all the bulls**t? Are they good people or just playing the game?”