Besart Berisha facts for kids
Berisha in training for Melbourne Victory in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Besart Selim Berisha | ||
| Date of birth | 29 July 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Pristina, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.83 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 2006–2009 | Albania | 17 | (1) |
| 2017 | Kosovo | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2024– | Prishtina (assistant) | ||
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Besart Selim Berisha (born 29 July 1985) is a Kosovan football coach and former player. He is currently an assistant manager for Kosovo Superleague club Prishtina.
Contents
Besart Berisha's Football Journey
Early Days and Big Moves
Besart Berisha started playing football at age nine in Germany. He played for several youth teams, including Berliner VB 49 and Berliner FC Dynamo. In 2003, at 17, he joined Tennis Borussia Berlin. There, he became the top scorer in the national youth league. His amazing skills caught the eye of Bundesliga club Hamburger SV.
He joined Hamburg in 2004. In 2005, he was loaned to Danish Superliga team Aalborg. He then played for AC Horsens, where he scored 11 goals in 32 games. This made him the team's top scorer that season.
In the 2006–07 season, Berisha played for Hamburg's first team. He made his German Bundesliga debut on 12 August 2006. On 6 December 2006, he made history. He became the first Albanian to score a goal in the UEFA Champions League group stages. He also scored his first Bundesliga goal on 16 December 2006.
Time at Burnley and Loans
On 3 July 2007, English club Burnley signed Berisha. This happened after he played well for Albania against England B. Many European clubs wanted him, but he chose Burnley.
Sadly, Berisha got a serious knee injury while playing for his country. This kept him out of football for a whole year. He returned to play in a friendly match in the USA.
Loan to Rosenborg
In 2008, Berisha was loaned to Norwegian club Rosenborg. He scored two goals in his very first game on 10 August 2008. Rosenborg won that match 3–1. He also played in the UEFA Cup for Rosenborg.
Loan to Horsens Again
Berisha returned to AC Horsens on loan in January 2009. He scored some important goals for them. However, his loan ended early after an incident during training.
He then moved to German club Arminia Bielefeld in 2009. He played 11 games in his first season there. In the 2010–11 season, he scored his first goal for the club.
Success in Australia: Brisbane Roar
On 16 August 2011, Berisha joined Brisbane Roar in Australia. He quickly made an impact. In only his fourth game, he scored four goals in a 7–1 win. This was Brisbane's biggest victory ever. He was the first player to score more than three goals in a single game for the club.
In the 2012 A-League Grand Final, Berisha scored two goals. One was a penalty kick in the final seconds. This helped the Roar win 2–1 and become champions two years in a row. He also became the first Albanian to score in two different Champions Leagues.
For the 2011–12 A-League season, Berisha won the Golden Boot award. This means he was the top scorer with 19 goals. He also won other awards, like Player of the Year. He finished the season with 23 goals in 35 games.
Continuing to Shine with Brisbane
In the 2012–13 season, Berisha scored 14 goals in 28 games. He scored important goals, even when his team was struggling. One goal helped Brisbane reach the finals series.
The 2013–14 season started with an injury for Berisha. But when he returned, he scored four goals in five games. He even scored a winning goal against Central Coast Mariners. On 27 April 2014, he scored the winning goal against Melbourne Victory in the semi-finals.
Brisbane Roar then played in the Grand Final on 4 May 2014. Berisha scored the goal that tied the game 1–1. Brisbane went on to win 2–1 in extra time. This made them champions of the 2013–14 season. Berisha finished as the second top-scorer in the A-League.
Moving to Melbourne Victory
On 22 January 2014, Berisha announced he would join Melbourne Victory. He signed a two-year contract starting in the 2014–15 season.
He made his debut for Victory on 20 August 2014. He helped set up a goal. In his next game, he scored three goals (a hat-trick) in a 6–0 win.
Berisha scored his first A-League goal for Victory from a penalty kick. In his third game, he scored another hat-trick 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. In the final, he scored the first goal in a 3–0 win.
In December 2015, Berisha signed a new contract with Victory. In November 2016, he started the process to become an Australian citizen.
On 2 January 2017, Berisha became the A-League's all-time leading goalscorer. He scored a penalty in a 4–2 win. On 14 April 2017, he became the first A-League player to score 100 goals. He also tied for the Golden Boot award that season. He is Melbourne Victory's second-highest goalscorer ever.
Later Career and Retirement
In June 2018, Berisha left Melbourne Victory to join J1 League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Japan. He made his debut on 28 July 2018.
On 27 September 2019, Berisha returned to the A-League. He joined new club Western United. He played for two years before leaving in July 2021.
On 15 September 2021, Berisha joined Football Superleague of Kosovo side Prishtina. He made his debut on 3 October 2021.
On 27 January 2022, Besart Berisha announced he was retiring from playing football.
Playing for His Country
Albania National Team
Berisha received Albanian citizenship in September 2006. He played his first game for Albania on 11 October 2006. This was against the Netherlands. He played in several more matches for Albania.
He scored his first goal for Albania on 22 August 2007. This was in a friendly match against Malta. Albania won 3–0.
Berisha was called up for the World Cup 2010 qualifiers. He played in eight of the ten group matches. After 2009, he decided not to play for Albania anymore. He said the long distance from Australia was a reason.
Kosovo National Team
In August 2016, Berisha accepted an invitation to play for Kosovo. This was after Kosovo was recognized by UEFA and FIFA. On 4 November 2016, FIFA allowed him to play for Kosovo. He made his debut for Kosovo on 20 March 2017. This was in a World Cup qualifying match against Iceland.
However, after one match, Berisha decided to stop playing for Kosovo. He felt the coach was not selecting him fairly.
Personal Life
Besart Berisha was born in Pristina and grew up in Germany. He is related to other Kosovan footballers. He 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. | 25 May 2007 | Turf Moor, Burnley, England |  England B |
1–2 | 1–3 | Unofficial friendly match |
| 2 | 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 the regular season)
- A-League Championship: 2011–12, 2013–14 (Won the Grand Final)
Melbourne Victory
- A-League Premiership: 2014–15
- A-League Championship: 2014–15, 2017–18
- FFA Cup: 2015 (A knockout cup competition)
Individual Awards
- A-League Golden Boot: 2011–12, 2016–17 (Award for top goalscorer)
- A-League Team of The Week: 2011–12 (Rounds 3, 8 and 13)
- Gary Wilkins Medal: 2011–12 (Brisbane Roar's Player of the Year)
- A-League PFA Team of the Season: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2019–20 (Best players chosen by other players)
- A-League All Star: 2013, 2014 (Played in special exhibition matches)
- A-League PFA A-League Team of the Decade: 2005–2015 (Chosen as one of the best players of the first ten years)
- Melbourne Victory Golden Boot: 2015–16 (Melbourne Victory's top goalscorer)
See also
In Spanish: Besart Berisha para niños
- List of association footballers who have been capped for two senior national teams
