Valon Berisha facts for kids
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Berisha with Red Bull Salzburg in 2017
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Valon Berisha | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 7 February 1993 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Malmö, Sweden | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||
| Current club | LASK | ||||||||||||
| Number | 14 | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 1998–2009 | Egersund | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 2009 | Egersund | 31 | (11) | ||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Viking | 56 | (4) | ||||||||||
| 2012–2018 | Red Bull Salzburg | 167 | (31) | ||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Lazio | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2020 | → Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Reims | 37 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2022 | Reims B | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | → Melbourne City (loan) | 27 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2024– | LASK | 30 | (2) | ||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Norway U15 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2009 | Norway U16 | 10 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2010 | Norway U17 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2010 | Norway U18 | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2011 | Norway U19 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Norway U21 | 18 | (3) | ||||||||||
| 2013 | Norway U23 | 1 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Norway | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2016– | Kosovo | 47 | (4) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Valon Berisha (born 7 February 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Austrian club LASK. He also plays for the Kosovo national team. Valon was born in Sweden and grew up in Norway. He used to play for Norway's youth teams and their main national team.
Contents
Valon Berisha's Football Journey
Starting Out in Football
Valon Berisha was born in Malmö, Sweden. His family came from Podujevo in Kosovo. He grew up in Egersund, a town in Norway. He started playing football at a young age for his local club, Egersunds IK.
When he was 14 and 15, Valon had trial periods with big English clubs like Premier League team Chelsea. He also spent time with Manchester City and Aston Villa. Both Manchester City and Aston Villa offered him contracts, but he decided to stay in Norway. At just 15 years old, on 20 June 2008, Valon played his first senior game for EIK. This was in the Norwegian Third Division.
Playing for Viking
In March 2009, Valon signed with Viking FK. He made his first appearance in the top Norwegian league, Tippeligaen, on 21 March 2010. He came into the game as a substitute. That season, he played in twelve league games, often on the left wing.
He scored his first professional goal on 31 October in a 1–1 draw against Lillestrøm. It was a great goal, where he dribbled the ball about 20 yards and then shot from 25 yards out. This goal was even nominated for the "Tippeligaen 2010 Goal of the Season" award!
Before the 2011 season, Viking's manager said Valon was one of the best players he had ever coached. In May, Valon won the Statoil Talent Prize. This award is given to talented young Norwegian footballers each month. Winners can donate money to a club that helped them grow. Valon chose to give the money to his first club, Egersunds IK.
On 19 June 2011, Valon and his younger brother, Veton, made history. They became the first brothers to play together for Viking in 22 years! Even though both moved from Egersund to Viking, it was their first time playing a senior game together.
Joining Red Bull Salzburg
In July 2012, Valon signed a contract with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. He joined the club at the same time as another Norwegian player, Håvard Nielsen. Valon made his debut for Red Bull Salzburg on 18 August 2012. He helped his teammate Nielsen score three goals in a 4–4 draw.
He scored his first goal for Red Bull Salzburg the very next week. He scored another goal on 1 September. Many of his 27 goals for Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian league came from outside the penalty box.
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During the 2017–18 season, Red Bull Salzburg had their best ever run in European football. They finished first in their UEFA Europa League group. Then, they beat strong teams like Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund. This meant they reached the Europa League semi-finals for the first time! On 3 May 2018, Valon played in the semi-final match.
Moving to Lazio
On 3 July 2018, Valon Berisha joined Serie A club Lazio in Italy. He signed a five-year contract. Lazio reportedly paid about €7.5 million for him. On 4 October 2018, he made his debut for Lazio in the Europa League. He came on as a substitute in the game. A few days later, he played his first game in Italy's top league, Serie A.
Loan to Fortuna Düsseldorf
On 30 January 2020, Valon joined Bundesliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany. This was a six-month loan. Two days later, he made his debut for the team.
Playing for Reims
On 9 July 2020, Valon Berisha signed a four-year contract with Ligue 1 club Reims in France. He was given the number 14 jersey. Reims reportedly paid €5 million for him. On 23 August 2020, he made his debut for Reims.
Loan to Melbourne City
On 7 September 2022, Valon was loaned to Melbourne City, an Australian club in the A-League Men. He wore the number 14 shirt. A month later, he played his first league game for Melbourne City.
On 11 February 2023, he scored his first goal for the club from a penalty kick. Valon started in the 2023 A-League Grand Final. However, he had to leave the game early because of a collision. Melbourne City lost the final. On 9 June, after helping with 7 assists and 1 goal, Valon returned to Reims.
On 1 September 2023, Reims announced that Valon's contract had ended by agreement.
Return to Austria with LASK
On 8 January 2024, Valon Berisha returned to the Austrian Bundesliga. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with LASK.
Playing for His Country
Representing Norway
Valon Berisha has played more than forty games for Norway's national youth teams. He played in all four of Norway's under-21 games during the qualification for the 2013 European Under-21 Championship. He scored Norway's only goal in a 2–1 loss against England's under-21 team.
On 23 November 2011, Valon was called up to the main Norway squad. He made his debut for the national team on 15 January 2012 in a friendly match. He came on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw. He then started the next two games in the tournament.
Playing for Kosovo
In December 2012, FIFA decided to allow Kosovo to play friendly matches against its member countries. In 2016, Kosovo became a full member of FIFA. Valon then chose to play for Kosovo and was allowed to switch.
He scored a goal in his very first game for Kosovo on 5 September 2016. His penalty kick in the 60th minute helped Kosovo get a 1–1 draw against Finland. This was a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match.
About Valon's Family
Valon Berisha's younger brother, Veton, is also a professional footballer. He also plays for the Norway international team.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Viking | 2010 | Tippeligaen | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 15 | 1 | |
| 2011 | Tippeligaen | 28 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | 32 | 5 | ||
| 2012 | Tippeligaen | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||
| Total | 56 | 4 | 8 | 2 | — | 64 | 6 | |||
| Red Bull Salzburg | 2012–13 | Austrian Bundesliga | 30 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | 33 | 6 | |
| 2013–14 | Austrian Bundesliga | 32 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 47 | 8 | |
| 2014–15 | Austrian Bundesliga | 14 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 4 | |
| 2015–16 | Austrian Bundesliga | 33 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 6 | |
| 2016–17 | Austrian Bundesliga | 34 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 46 | 8 | |
| 2017–18 | Austrian Bundesliga | 24 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 7 | 45 | 13 | |
| Total | 167 | 31 | 21 | 6 | 45 | 8 | 233 | 45 | ||
| Lazio | 2018–19 | Serie A | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
| Reims | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 1 |
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Total | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 1 | ||
| Reims II | 2021–22 | CFA 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | CFA 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Melbourne City (loan) | 2022–23 | A-League Men | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27!!1 | |
| LASK | 2023–24 | Austrian Bundesliga | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | Austrian Bundesliga | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 4 | |
| Total | 30 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 37 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 344 | 38 | 36 | 9 | 61 | 10 | 441 | 57 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 2012 | 8 | 0 |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 0 | |
| Kosovo | 2016 | 4 | 1 |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 11 | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 4 | |
International goals
- Scores and results list Kosovo's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Berisha goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 5 September 2016 | Veritas Stadion, Turku, Finland |  Finland |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 2. | 10 September 2019 | St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton, England |  England |
1–0 | 3–5 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | |
| 3. | 2–5 | ||||||
| 4. | 2 June 2022 | AEK Arena – Georgios Karapatakis, Larnaca, Cyprus |  Cyprus |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C |
Awards and Achievements
Valon Berisha has won many awards and championships with his teams:
Red Bull Salzburg
- Austrian Football Bundesliga: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 (5 times)
- Austrian Cup: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17 (3 times)
Lazio
- Coppa Italia: 2018–19
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2019
Melbourne City
- A-League Men Premiership: 2022–23
Individual Awards
- Austrian Bundesliga Player of the Year: 2017–18
- Austrian Bundesliga top assist provider: 2016–17
- Austrian Bundesliga Team of the Year: 2016–17, 2017–18
See also
In Spanish: Valon Berisha para niños
