 Berisha in training for Melbourne Victory in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Besart Selim Berisha[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-07-29)29 July 1985 (age 40) | ||
| Place of birth | Pristina,SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Prishtina (assistant) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1998 | Berliner VB 49 | ||
| 1998–1999 | Berliner FC Dynamo | ||
| 1999–2000 | TSV Lichtenberg | ||
| 2000–2003 | SV Lichtenberg | ||
| 2003–2004 | Tennis Borussia Berlin | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2004 | Tennis Borussia Berlin | 4 | (1) |
| 2004–2007 | Hamburger SV | 12 | (1) |
| 2005 | →Aalborg (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | →Horsens (loan) | 32 | (11) |
| 2007–2009 | Burnley | 0 | (0) |
| 2008 | →Rosenborg (loan) | 8 | (3) |
| 2009 | →Horsens (loan) | 13 | (4) |
| 2010–2011 | Arminia Bielefeld | 28 | (2) |
| 2011–2014 | Brisbane Roar | 76 | (48) |
| 2014–2018 | Melbourne Victory | 110 | (68) |
| 2018–2019 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 6 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | Western United | 45 | (26) |
| 2021 | Prishtina | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 339 | (164) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006–2009 | Albania | 17 | (1) |
| 2017 | Kosovo | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024– | Prishtina (assistant) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Besart Selim Berisha (born 29 July 1985) is a Kosovan professionalfootball coach and former player who is the current assistant manager ofKosovo Superleague clubPrishtina.[3]
Berisha began his youth career at German side Berliner VB 49 academies aged nine. He then moved to various German teams, such as Berliner FC Dynamo, TSV Lichtenberg, SV Lichtenberg 47 until 2003, when he moved toNOFV-Oberliga clubTennis Borussia Berlin, where a 17-year-old Berisha won the national youth league's golden boot, outclassing future Germany strikers,Mario Gomez andLukas Podolski.[4] He stayed for just a year before being spotted byBundesliga clubHamburger SV.
For the first half of the 2004–05 season, Berisha wasn't included in Hamburg's starting lineup for any of the matches, and for the second half he was loaned toDanish Superliga teamAalborg Boldspilklub where he spent a rather unsuccessful spell, playing only three games and scoring no goals.[5]
The following season 2005–06 he was loaned to fellow Superliga sideAC Horsens, where he scored 11 goals in 32 appearances, becoming the team's top scorer that season.
For the 2006–07 football season, he remained at Hamburg and was given his chances in the first team making his GermanBundesliga debut on 12 August 2006 againstArminia Bielefeld, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute in place ofNigel de Jong, as the match finished in a 1–1 draw.[6] On 6 December 2006, Berisha became the firstAlbanian ever to score a goal in the group stages of theUEFA Champions League[5] by scoring his first goal for Hamburg in the match againstCSKA Moscow at home in Hamburg. Exactly 10 days later, on 16 December 2006, Berisha managed to score his first Bundesliga goal againstAlemannia Aachen, as the starting striker and scoring the opening goal in the 32nd minute in the match as it finished in an away draw 3–3.[7] He went on to make a total 14 appearances for Hamburg in the 2006–07 season, including one in the German cup and two in theUEFA Champions League, and eleven of them as asubstitute. After the sacking ofThomas Doll and the arrival ofHuub Stevens as Hamburg's new manager, Berisha was not seen as part of his plan for the team and remained on the bench for the rest of the season.
On 3 July 2007,Burnley purchased Berisha from Hamburg for£340,000, this followed his impressive performance for Albania againstEngland B on Burnley's home groundTurf Moor.[8] After his performance many European clubs were interested in signing the player[5] but Berisha was eventually signed to Burnley on a three-year deal, subject to the player being granted awork permit. The permit was eventually granted on 3 July 2007 and the deal was completed.[9]
Berisha was ruled out for the 2007–08 season when he picked up an injury while playing for his country in an International friendly againstMalta.[10] It was originally believed to be a minor knock to theknee but it was later discovered that the injury was more serious and was likely to keep the player out for 5–6 weeks.[11] After seeing a surgeon it was further revealed that the player had in fact snapped hiscruciate ligament in his knee and would not return to football for a year.[12] The reason that doctors had originally failed to discover the damaged ligament was due to a buildup of fluid in the knee which distorted the scans image.[10]
Ten months after suffering his serious knee injury, Berisha made his return to football in a pre-season friendly match in the USA againstCarolina Railhawks when he came on in the 71st minute forJoey Guðjónsson. Berisha did not exert an influence in the 20 minutes that he spent on the field having just flown toAmerica 24 hours earlier fromAlbania. The American side defeated Burnley 2–1.
He was loaned to Rosenborg in the autumn of 2008, scoring twice in his debut on 10 August 2008 against rivalsMolde FK at Lerkendal Stadion in a 3–1 victory for Rosenborg.[13] On 21 September 2008, Berisha scored in a 4–0 victory againstHamKam.[14]
Berisha started for Rosenborg on 14 August 2008 in the first leg of the2008–09 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds, a 2:1 loss toDjurgården, coming off in the 76th minute.[15] He played only the first half in the second-leg, a 5–0 home victory,[16] as Rosenborg won 6–2 on aggregate to advance to thenext round againstBrøndby. He played only in the second leg on 2 October 2008 which Rosenborg won 3–2.[17] Rosenborg won 5–3 on aggregate, advancing to theGroup stage where they facedSaint-Étienne,Valencia,Copenhagen andClub Brugge. Berisha played only once, against Club Brugge on 23 October 2008, coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute. The match finished in a goalless draw.[18]
Berisha joinedAC Horsens on loan on 8 January 2009 but returned prematurely toBurnley F.C. on 26 May 2009 despite having scored some important goals for AC Horsens. The Danish club dissolved the loan contract after an incident in training involving Berisha andKenneth Emil Petersen.
His contract with Burnley ran until 2010, but having failed to make a single competitive start for Burnley after his return, the club announced on 31 July 2009 that Berisha would be transferred to German Bundesliga 2 teamArminia Bielefeld. The transfer fee was believed to be £75,000.
Berisha officially joined Bielefeld on 5 August 2009. In the 2009–10 season, Berisha finished scoreless, having made just 11 appearances, only two as a starter, since his debut on 10 August 2009 againstHansa Rostock. The match was a 3–1 victory with Berisha coming on as a substitute in the 80th minute.[19]
He started the 2010–11 season on 22 September 2010 as a substitute in a 3–1 loss toBochum[20] and scored his first goal of the season on 29 September 2010 in a 1–2 loss toUnion Berlin.[21] He finished the season with a total of 19 appearances, 12 as a starter. In 15 matches Berisha was an unused substitute.
On 16 August 2011,Brisbane Roar managerAnge Postecoglou announced that Berisha had agreed to a one-year deal with the2010–11 A-League champions.[22] Berisha scored his first goal for Brisbane in round two against Sydney FC.[23] Berisha scored four goals in a 7–1 thrashing against Adelaide United in round four, Brisbane's biggest ever victory and making him the first player toscore more than three goals in a single game for the club.[24]
On 14 January 2012, Berisha was involved in an on-field melee withSydney FC defenderPascal Bosschaart. Despite being cleared by the referee's post-match report and the Match Review Panel, Berisha was found to have breached theFFA Code of Conduct and was banned for one match.[25] On 14 February 2012, it was announced that Berisha had signed a two-year contract extension, taking him to the end of the 2013–14 season.[26] Berisha's "volatile" personality led to occasional clashes with teammates, both at training and on-field, as well as with opposition players. However, he was largely praised for his passionate approach to the game.[27][28][29]
In the2012 A-League Grand Final againstPerth Glory, Berisha scored a brace, one in the final seconds from a controversial penalty kick, to help the Roar win 2–1 and become the first team to win back-to-back A-League championships. Berisha became the first Albanian to score in two different Champions Leagues when he scored againstF.C. Tokyo in theAsian Champions League.[30] In the 2011–12 A-League season, Berisha won the Golden Boot with 19 goals, the Football Media Association Player of the Year, the Players' Player of the Year, and Members' Player of the Year awards.[31][32][33] Berisha finished the season with 23 goals from 35 games, a record for a player in a season for Brisbane. His season tally included 19 goals in the regular season of the A-League; a joint all-time record.
Berisha's 2012–13 season was less notable than his debut season for the club. However, he still managed to finish what was a disappointing season for Brisbane with 14 goals from 28 appearances in all competitions. Berisha scored a number of important goals for Brisbane as they struggled to find the form that won them two consecutive championships; he scored the sole goal in Round 9 as ten man Brisbane saw offNewcastle Jets at home. However, arguably none were as important as the opening goal of the final round victory overSydney FC which confirmed Brisbane's place in the post-season finals series.
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The 2013–14 season started poorly for Berisha, despite scoring in the opening round win overWellington Phoenix, he injured his hamstring in Round 2 which kept him on the sidelines for four weeks. Upon his return, he scored four goals in his next five appearances including a second half winner againstPerth Glory and a brace in a 2–1 defeat ofAdelaide United, however a hip injury then sidelined him for a further two weeks. Despite Berisha again scoring on his return from injury, on this occasion he could not prevent defeat to Adelaide at home. In the following match away to Perth Glory he received his first red card in the A-League. He was unfortunate to be booked in the first 30 seconds of the game while contesting a header withMichael Thwaite; he was then given his marching orders in the 32nd minute after receiving a second yellow card for a reckless tackle on the same player. Berisha scored on his return from suspension, netting a 90th-minute winner againstCentral Coast Mariners. On 27 April 2014, Berisha scored and gave his team the victory 1–0 againstMelbourne Victory, valid for semi-finals of the A-League.[34] With this victory, Brisbane Roar advanced to the final match and played on 4 May 2014 againstWestern Sydney Wanderers winning the match 2–1 after extra-time, Berisha scoring the match equalising goal after the Wanderers scored the opening goal. With the score 1–1 after 90 minutes the match went into 30 minutes of extra-time, when Brisbane scored the winning goal in the 108th minute byHenrique Silva and were declared the champions of the 2013–14 season.[35] Berisha finished the 2013–14 season with a total of 20 appearances and scoring 13 goals, ranked second top-scorer of the A-League.
On 22 January 2014, it was announced that A-League clubMelbourne Victory had agreed to sign Berisha as the club'sInternational Marquee player when his contract with Brisbane expires at the conclusion of the 2013–14 season.[36] The contract is for two seasons commencing in the 2014–15 season and is worth $1.5 million, more than double his wage at Brisbane.[37]
Berisha had his competitive debut for Victory on 20 August 2014 in a2014 FFA Cup Round of 32 match againstBayswater City SC away inPerth winning praise for his impact, assistingArchie Thompson's 77th-minute goal,[38] followed by ahat-trick in the next round of the same competition in a 0–6 win away toTuggeranong United inCanberra on 16 September.[39]
Berisha made his A-League debut for the Victory in their first round clash with theWestern Sydney Wanderers. In the same match, Berisha scored his first A-League goal for the Victory, and the 2nd goal of the new A-League season, from a penalty kick in the 19th minute of the match, putting the Victory 2–0 up, in an eventual 4–1 win for the Victory.
In his third appearance & start for his new club, Berisha made his debut in the newly re-establishedMelbourne Derby againstMelbourne City FC in round 3 on 25 October 2014. In this match, Berisha scored his first hat-trick for the club, scoring Victory's second, third and fourth goals in an eventual 5–2 win in front of an attendance of 43,729 atDocklands Stadium, with the first and last goals coming from veteran teammateArchie Thompson. At this point of his Melbourne Victory career, Berisha had played a combined total of five games for the club, scoring seven goals and giving one assist. His goal scoring tally went up to 13 goals in the regular part of season, thus helping Melbourne Victory to win Premiership. In the final, Berisha scored the opener against arch rivals F.C. Sydney which Victory went to win 3–0.
On 2 December 2015, Berisha extended his contract with Victory for two further seasons, with his new deal set to end at the completion of the 2017–18 A-League season.[40]
In November 2016, Berisha was announced as seeking Australian citizenship, after spending the required five years in the country, to be naturalised. He will be eligible for citizenship in October 2017. Once this has been achieved, Victory will be able to sign an additional visa player.[41] On 17 December 2016, Berisha scored the winning goal in the 22nd Melbourne Derby. In doing so, he equalledArchie Thompson's tally of 90 goals in the A-League, the most ever scored by an individual in the league.[42]
On 2 January 2017, Berisha became the A-League's all-time leading goalscorer, after scoring a penalty in an eventual 4–2 win overNewcastle.[43]
On 14 April 2017, Berisha became the A-league's first ever player to score 100 goals in the competition after scoring a goal in a 1–0 win over theCentral Coast Mariners.[44] This goal also brought his regular season tally to 19, earning him a tie withJamie Maclaren for the 2016–17 Golden Boot.[45]
With 68 A-League goals, Berisha is Melbourne Victory's second-highest goalscorer behindArchie Thompson.[46]
In June 2018, Melbourne Victory confirmed Berisha left the club to joinJ1 League sideSanfrecce Hiroshima.[47] On 2 July 2018. Berisha is officially presented after signing a year and a half contract.[48][49][50] On 28 July 2018, he made his debut in a 1–4 home defeat againstUrawa Red Diamonds after coming on as a substitute at 68th minute in place ofTeerasil Dangda.
On 27 September 2019, Berisha returned to theA-League, joining expansion clubWestern United, who are also a rival of his old clubMelbourne Victory.[51] In July 2021, following two years at the club, Berisha left at the end of his contract.[52]
On 15 September 2021, Berisha joinedFootball Superleague of Kosovo sidePrishtina.[53] Seven days later, the club confirmed that Berisha's transfer was permanent and received squad number 33.[54] On 3 October 2021, he made his debut in a 0–0 away draw againstDrita after coming on as a substitute at 77th minute in place of Gauthier Mankenda.[55]
On 27 January 2022, Berisha announced through his Instagram account that he has retired from football.[56][57]
Berisha started applying for Albanian citizenship in September 2006 along withMërgim Mavraj,Genc Mehmeti andAlban Dragusha, this following the recommendations ofHans-Peter Briegel before he resigned from his role as the manager of theAlbania national team. Berisha received the Albanian citizenship on 7 September 2006 along with Mavraj.[58] Despite these four players were tested and selected by Hans-Peter Briegel, but only three of them were in plans of the next upcoming coach of Albania,Otto Barić, where theCroatian coach meet Berisha in Germany and coachThomas Doll and had only required his services, Mërgim Mavraj's and Genc Mehmeti's, as for Alban Dragusha he has not given any concrete statement.[59]
Berisha received his first call up and played his first game for Albania under the coach Otto Barić, on 11 October 2006 against theNetherlands valid for theUEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group G and where Berisha came on as a substitute in the 79th minute forErjon Bogdani, as the match finished in the 2–1 loss.[60] In another four following matches he was called up and played in all four matches including two in the starting line up.[61] First he played as a substitute in a goalless draw on 24 March 2007 againstSlovenia replacingDevi Muka in the 86th minute and playing for the first time asattacking midfielder behind the back ofAlban Bushi and Erjon Bogdani.[62] Then four days later in another goalless draw in a row, againstBulgaria, Berisha played as a starter along Erjon Bogdani in the forward line forming the duo-strikers partnership, Then Berisha was substituted off in the second half 79th minute by Alban Bushi.[63] In the next upcoming matches both againstLuxembourg on 2 and 6 June 2007, Berisha returned to play as a starter in the midfield in the first match, but got substituted off by Devi Muka at half-time as the match finished in 2–0 with both goals scored byEdmond Kapllani in the first half when Berisha played.[64] For the second match, Berisha came in as a substitute in the 67th minute for Alban Bushi and five minutes later Edmond Kapllani scored for Albania to secure the clean 3–0 win.[65]
He scored his first goal for Albania on 25 May 2007, during a friendly match withEngland B played atTurf Moor, inBurnley, England, where he showed impressive form and was the Albanian man of the match.[8] This goal was not recognized because the match was not between two fully senior teams. The first fully senior international goal was scored by Berisha on 22 August 2007 in a friendly match againstMalta which Albania won 3–0. Berisha was in the starting line up and managed to score in the 46th minute of the second half.[66] On 19 November 2008, Berisha assisted the equalizing goal scored byErvin Skela in the friendly match againstAzerbaijan which ended exactly as a 1–1 draw.[67]
During theWorld Cup 2010 qualifiers, he was called up regularly in the national team for all 10 group matches, playing on eight of them.
For the two matches againstHungary on 28 March 2009 andDenmark on 1 April 2009, coachArie Haan left outErjon Bogdani, a regular starter during the tournament, because the striker ofChievo Verona did not play for some time in the ItalianSerie A.[68] In those two matches Berisha gained a chance to play as a starter and in the 0–1 loss againstHungary on 28 March 2009, he completed the entire 90-minutes match forming a striker partnership withHamdi Salihi.[69] And four days later in a 0–3 loss againstDenmark on 1 April 2009, he played once again in the starting line up as a single striker, then substituted off byMigen Memelli in the 85th minute.[70] After the end of thetournament, he refused permanently to be called up for the national team's fixtures, one reason being that he lived a long distance away from Albania.
As of 14 October 2009,[update] his last game with the national team, Berisha had made 17 appearances and scored one goal for Albania.[71]
On 9 December 2013, he declared that after the opening of the winter transfer period he will sign for a football-club in Europe to be more close Albania and to play again for the national team,[72] but suddenly on 22 January 2014 it was announced that fellow A-League clubMelbourne Victory had agreed to sign Berisha for next season 2014–15.[36] On 5 April 2014, he was asked by Albania national team coachGianni De Biasi to play again for Albania only for the official matches valid forUEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers and Berisha asked just ten days for final response.[73] His late response was definitive to not accept latest invitation, as he declared that as long as he was playing in Australia he couldn't come to Albania due to the long distance.[74]
In January 2016, Berisha declared that he was interested in representing Albania inUEFA Euro 2016.[75]
On 16 August 2016, it was announced that Berisha had accepted an invitation to representKosovo, after it was officially recognized byUEFA andFIFA in May 2016.[76][77] On 4 November 2016, FIFA accepted Berisha's request to play for Kosovo.[78] On 20 March 2017, he received a call-up from Kosovo for a2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match againstIceland,[79] making his debut after being named in the starting line-up.[80]
On 11 June 2017, Berisha after the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match againstTurkey decided to step down from international duty because he feltAlbert Bunjaki, the Kosovo coach was the worst coach he had ever worked with and accused Bunjaki of not giving him any reason as to why he was not being selected. Berisha said he would be available for selection again should Bunjaki leave his role as coach of the Kosovo national team.[81]
Besart Berisha was born inPristina and raised inGermany and he is the brother-in-law of Kosovan footballers Enis Fetahu and Kosovo internationalSamir Ujkani.[82] Berisha became an Australian citizen in 2019.[83]
| Club | Season | League[a] | Cup | Continental[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tennis Borussia Berlin | 2003–04 | NOFV-Oberliga Nord | 4 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1 | ||
| AaB (loan) | 2004–05 | Danish Superliga | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Horsens (loan) | 2005–06 | Danish Superliga | 32 | 11 | — | — | 32 | 11 | ||
| 2008–09 | 10 | 4 | — | — | 10 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 42 | 15 | — | — | 42 | 15 | ||||
| Hamburger SV | 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 2 |
| Rosenborg (loan) | 2008 | Tippeligaen | 8 | 3 | — | 4 | 0 | 12 | 3 | |
| Arminia Bielefeld | 2010–11 | 2. Bundesliga | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | |
| Brisbane Roar | 2011–12 | A-League | 29 | 21 | — | 6 | 2 | 35 | 23 | |
| 2012–13 | 27 | 14 | — | 1 | 0 | 28 | 14 | |||
| 2013–14 | 20 | 13 | — | — | 20 | 13 | ||||
| Total | 76 | 48 | — | 7 | 2 | 83 | 50 | |||
| Melbourne Victory | 2014–15 | A-League | 28 | 15 | 3 | 3 | — | 31 | 18 | |
| 2015–16 | 26 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 39 | 27 | ||
| 2016–17 | 26 | 19 | 4 | 2 | — | 30 | 21 | |||
| 2017–18 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 18 | ||
| Total | 108 | 66 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 6 | 135 | 84 | ||
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 2018 | J1 League | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |
| Western United FC | 2019–20 | A-League | 27 | 19 | — | — | 27 | 19 | ||
| 2020–21 | 12 | 6 | — | — | 12 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 39 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 25 | ||
| Career total | 326 | 161 | 17 | 12 | 21 | 6 | 362 | 179 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania[84][86] | 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 0 | |
| Kosovo[86] | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 22 August 2007 | Qemal Stafa Stadium,Tirana, Albania |  Malta | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly match |
Brisbane Roar[85]
Melbourne Victory[85]
Individual
Besart Berisha është prezantuar edhe zyrtarisht tek skuadra e tij e re në Japoni. Berisha ka nënshkruar kontratë për një vit e gjysmë me klubin japonez. Berisha debutimin e tij me klubin e tij pritet ta bëjë me 11 korrik para tifozëve vendas ndaj skuadrës Nara Club
Unë kam vendosur që sa të jetë trajner Albert Bunjaku nuk do të grumbullohem. I kërkojë shumë falje tifozëve kosovarë që po largohem, por nuk mund të punoj me një trajner që ka mentalitet humbjen, në rast se vije një trajner që gjithmonë fitoren atëherë unë jam i gatshëm gjithmonë për Kosovën
