Besian Idrizaj facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Besian Idrizaj | ||
| Date of birth | 12 October 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Baden bei Wien, Austria | ||
| Date of death | 15 May 2010 (aged 22) | ||
| Place of death | Linz, Austria | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2003 | Admira Linz | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2004 | Admira Linz | 0 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | LASK Linz | 35 | (4) |
| 2005–2008 | Liverpool | 0 | (0) |
| 2007 | → Luton Town (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | → Crystal Palace (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2008 | → Wacker Innsbruck (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2009 | FC Eilenburg | 5 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Swansea City | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 59 | (5) | |
| National team | |||
| 2007–2009 | Austria U21 | 12 | (3) |
|
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Besian Idrizaj (born October 12, 1987 – died May 15, 2010) was a professional footballer from Austria. He played as a striker, which is a player who tries to score goals. Besian also played for teams in the English Football League, like Crystal Palace and Luton Town. He was on loan to these clubs from Liverpool, a very famous team. He also played for other clubs such as LASK Linz, Wacker Innsbruck, and FC Eilenburg. Sadly, he passed away at the young age of 22. Besian was of Albanian descent.
Contents
Besian Idrizaj's Football Journey
Starting His Career
Besian Idrizaj began his football journey with youth teams like Admira Linz and LASK Linz in Austria. He was so talented that he was named Austria's best young player during the 2004–05 season. This showed everyone how promising he was.
Playing for Liverpool
In the summer of 2005, Besian signed a two-year contract with Liverpool. This happened after he had a trial with the club. A trial is like an audition where a player shows their skills to a team.
Besian was very excited about joining Liverpool. He said it was a "dream come true" because he had always been a fan of the team. He even joked he would have "swum across the channel" just to play for them!
His first season, 2005–06, was a bit tough because he had some injuries. But he was expected to play regularly for Liverpool's reserve team. He made his first appearance for the main team in a friendly game against Wrexham in July 2006. In another friendly game against Wrexham in 2007, Besian scored three goals in just 26 minutes! This is called a hat-trick.
Loan Spells
Sometimes, a player goes on "loan" to another club. This means they play for a different team for a short time, but they still belong to their original club. Besian went on loan to a few teams:
Luton Town
In March 2007, Besian joined Luton Town, a team in the Football League Championship. He played his first English league game with them the very next day. He played seven games for Luton Town and scored one goal against Southend United.
Crystal Palace
Later, in August 2007, Besian went on a 12-month loan to Crystal Palace. He made his debut for them in a local derby game against Charlton Athletic. However, he found it hard to get a regular spot on the team. The manager decided to send him back to Liverpool early.
Return to Austria
On January 31, 2008, Besian went on loan to an Austrian club called Wacker Innsbruck. While playing for them, he collapsed during a game. This was a scary moment. However, after many medical tests, doctors said he was okay to keep playing football. They believed the collapse was caused by a virus, not a heart problem. His contract with Liverpool ended after this loan.
Playing in Germany
After his time in Austria, Besian played five games for FC Eilenburg in Germany.
Swansea City
In August 2009, Besian had a trial with Swansea City. The manager, Paulo Sousa, was impressed with him. He said Besian was an "attacking player" who would fit well into the team. Besian signed a contract with Swansea City after showing his skills in training. He played three games for Swansea City that season. The team almost made it to the Premier League, which is the top football league in England.
Besian's Passing
Besian Idrizaj sadly passed away on May 15, 2010, at the age of 22. This was just two weeks after the football season ended. Reports said he had a heart attack while he was sleeping. It was also mentioned that he had collapsed before while playing football, once during a trial with LASK Linz and another time during a match for Wacker Innsbruck. However, after medical checks, he was cleared to continue his career.
A Special Tribute
After Besian's passing, Swansea City players honored him in a special way. In May 2011, after winning an important play-off game, the players wore T-shirts with Besian's photo and name on them. This was to show their respect and remember their teammate. Swansea City also decided to retire his number 40 shirt. This means no other player on the team will ever wear the number 40 jersey again, keeping Besian's memory alive.
See also
In Spanish: Besian Idrizaj para niños
