Besart Berisha facts for kids
Berisha in training for Melbourne Victory in 2015
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Besart Selim Berisha | ||
| Date of birth | 29 July 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Pristina, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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 professional football coach and former player. He is currently an assistant manager for the Kosovo Superleague club Prishtina.
Contents
- Besart Berisha's Club Journey
- International Career
- Personal Life
- Career Statistics
- Honours and Awards
- See also
Besart Berisha's Club Journey
Starting in Germany: Youth and Hamburger SV
Besart Berisha started playing football at age nine in Germany. He joined youth academies like Berliner VB 49. By 2003, at 17, he played for Tennis Borussia Berlin. Here, he became the top scorer in the national youth league. He even scored more goals than future German stars like Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski.
After his success, he moved to Bundesliga club Hamburger SV in 2004. He didn't play much for Hamburg at first. He was loaned to Danish Superliga team Aalborg in 2005, but only played a few games.
In the 2005–06 season, he was loaned to another Danish team, AC Horsens. This was a great move for him! He scored 11 goals in 32 games, becoming the team's top scorer.
Berisha returned to Hamburg for the 2006–07 season. He made his German Bundesliga debut on 12 August 2006. On 6 December 2006, he made history. He became the first Albanian player to score a goal in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. He scored against CSKA Moscow. Ten days later, he scored his first Bundesliga goal. He played 14 games for Hamburg that season.
Moving to England: Burnley
On 3 July 2007, Burnley in England bought Berisha for £340,000. He had played very well for Albania against England B on Burnley's home field. Many clubs wanted him, but he chose Burnley.
Sadly, Berisha got a serious knee injury while playing for Albania. Doctors first thought it was minor, but it turned out to be a torn ligament. This meant he couldn't play for a whole year. He returned to football in a friendly match in the USA in 2008.
Loan to Rosenborg
In 2008, Berisha was loaned to Rosenborg in Norway. He had an amazing debut, scoring two goals on 10 August 2008. He helped Rosenborg win 3–1 against Molde FK. He also played in the UEFA Cup for Rosenborg.
Loan to Horsens Again
Berisha went back to AC Horsens on loan in January 2009. He scored some important goals for them. However, his loan ended early in May 2009 after an incident during training.
He left Burnley in July 2009 and joined German club Arminia Bielefeld.
Playing in Germany: Arminia Bielefeld
Berisha joined Arminia Bielefeld on 5 August 2009. In his first season (2009–10), he played 11 games but didn't score.
He started the 2010–11 season well, scoring his first goal on 29 September 2010. He played 19 games that season.
Starring in Australia: Brisbane Roar
On 16 August 2011, Besart Berisha signed a one-year deal with Brisbane Roar in Australia. He quickly became a star! In only his fourth game, he scored four goals in a huge 7–1 win. This was a club record.
Berisha was known for his strong passion for the game. In the 2012 A-League Grand Final, he scored two goals, including a penalty in the last seconds. This helped Brisbane Roar win 2–1 and become champions for the second time in a row. He also became the first Albanian to score in two different Champions Leagues (UEFA and Asian).
In the 2011–12 A-League season, Berisha won the Golden Boot award for scoring 19 goals. He also won several other player awards. He finished the season with 23 goals in 35 games, a new record for Brisbane.
His 2012–13 season was not as record-breaking, but he still scored 14 goals in 28 games. He scored important goals, like the one that helped Brisbane reach the finals.
.jpg)
The 2013–14 season started with an injury for Berisha. But when he returned, he scored four goals in five games. He got his first red card in the A-League during a game against Perth Glory. On 27 April 2014, he scored the winning goal in the semi-finals against Melbourne Victory. Brisbane Roar then won the Grand Final 2–1 after extra time, with Berisha scoring the equalizing goal. He finished the season as the second-highest scorer with 13 goals.
More Success in Australia: Melbourne Victory
On 22 January 2014, it was announced that Berisha would join Melbourne Victory after his contract with Brisbane ended. He signed a two-year deal.
He made his debut for Victory on 20 August 2014. He scored his first A-League goal for Victory from a penalty kick. In his third game, he scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 5–2 win. By this point, he had scored seven goals in just five games for Melbourne Victory. He helped Melbourne Victory win the Premiership that season. In the Grand Final, he scored the first goal in a 3–0 win.
In December 2015, Berisha extended his contract with Victory until the end of the 2017–18 season. In November 2016, he started the process to become an Australian citizen.
On 17 December 2016, Berisha scored the winning goal in a big derby match. This goal tied him with Archie Thompson for the most goals ever scored in the A-League (90 goals). On 2 January 2017, Berisha became the A-League's all-time leading goalscorer!
On 14 April 2017, he became the first player in A-League history to score 100 goals. He also tied for the Golden Boot award that season with 19 goals. With 68 A-League goals, Berisha is Melbourne Victory's second-highest goalscorer.
Later Career: Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Western United, and Prishtina
In June 2018, Berisha left Melbourne Victory to join J1 League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Japan. He played six games for them.
On 27 September 2019, Berisha returned to the A-League in Australia. He joined the new club Western United. He played two years there, scoring 26 goals in 45 games. He left the club in July 2021.
On 15 September 2021, Berisha joined Football Superleague of Kosovo club Prishtina. He played three games for them.
Retirement
On 27 January 2022, Besart Berisha announced that he was retiring from playing professional football.
International Career
Playing for Albania
Besart Berisha became an Albanian citizen in September 2006. He received his first call-up to the Albania national team on 11 October 2006. He played against the Netherlands in a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2008.
He scored his first official goal for Albania on 22 August 2007 in a friendly match against Malta. Albania won 3–0.
He was regularly called up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He played in eight of the ten group matches. After 2009, he decided not to play for the national team anymore, partly because of the long distance from Australia.
He played 17 games and scored one goal for Albania.
Playing for Kosovo
On 16 August 2016, Berisha accepted an invitation to play for the Kosovo national team. This was after Kosovo was officially recognized by UEFA and FIFA. FIFA approved his request to play for Kosovo on 4 November 2016. He made his debut for Kosovo on 20 March 2017 in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Iceland.
Leaving the Kosovo Team
On 11 June 2017, Berisha decided to stop playing for Kosovo. He felt that the coach, Albert Bunjaki, was not selecting him for clear reasons. Berisha said he would play again if there was a different coach.
Personal Life
Besart Berisha was born in Pristina and grew up in Germany. He is related to other Kosovan footballers, including Samir Ujkani. Berisha became an Australian citizen in 2019.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | 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 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 0 | |
| Kosovo | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
- Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 22 August 2007 | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania |  Malta |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly match |
Honours and Awards
Brisbane Roar
- A-League Premiership: 2013–14 (Top team in regular season)
- A-League Championship: 2011–12, 2013–14 (Playoff winners)
Melbourne Victory
- A-League Premiership: 2014–15
- A-League Championship: 2014–15, 2017–18
- FFA Cup: 2015 (Cup competition winner)
Individual Awards
- A-League Golden Boot: 2011–12, 2016–17 (Top goal scorer)
- A-League Team of The Week: 2011–12 (Rounds 3, 8 and 13)
- Gary Wilkins Medal: 2011–12 (Brisbane Roar Player of the Year)
- A-League PFA Team of the Season: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2019–20 (Best players in the league)
- A-League All Star: 2013, 2014 (Selected for special All-Star games)
- A-League PFA A-League Team of the Decade: 2005–2015 (One of the best players of the decade)
- Melbourne Victory Golden Boot: 2015–16 (Melbourne Victory's top goal scorer)
See also
In Spanish: Besart Berisha para niños
- List of association footballers who have been capped for two senior national teams
