Hiden: Martin

1998-2000 (Player Details)

Defender/Right Back

Born: Stainz, Austria: 11-03-1973

Debut: v Southampton (h): 28-02-1998

6’1” 11st 6lb (2007)

Austrian International Hiden started his football career in his native Austria with Sturm Graz in August 1993, scoring five goals in fifty-three appearances in a two year stay before he joined Salzburg. He played there for a year making fifty-eight appearances and scoring twice before returning to Sturm Graz. He stayed for a year scoring three times in twenty-eight games, before moving to Rapid Vienna, making twenty appearances before leaving for George Graham’s Leeds United at a fee of £1.3 million on 25th February 1998. He went straight into the team first as deputy for Gary Kelly and then in central defence, and remained an ever-present to the end of the season and won his first Austrian cap and represented his country at the 1998 World Cup Finals. He was again a regular at the start of the 1998-99 season, in the right back role, until he sustained a serious knee injury while playing against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 29th November 1998. It meant that he missed the rest of the season and the when he returned the following season he featured only once as a substitute and seven times he sat on the bench unused unable to win back his place as Gary Kelly and Danny Mills were first in line at right back, Ian Harte had a stranglehold on the left back berth and Lucas Radebe and Jonathan Woodgate, similarly held sway in central defence with Michael Duberry and Alf-Inge Haaland waiting in line. It came as little surprise when Hiden left on 25th May 2000, joining FK Austria Wien, for £500,000 and his last season with United plagued by a recurrence of his knee problems hoping that he could get himself back to full fitness and have a decent chance of first-team football. This he did and he was soon back as a regular in the national side. He remained at Austria Wien for three seasons chalking up eighty-two appearances and scoring twice. He joined Rapid Vienna for the start of the 2003-04 season and amassed a hundred and six appearances and scored four goals, and was captain of the club from 2006, before he joined Austria Kurnten on 30th January 2008. He has gained forty caps for Austria and was made their captain in 2007.