The Longside Reference

Name: BesartBerisha

Website: Besart Berisha
 
Date Of Birth: 29th July 1985

Place Of Birth: Pristina, Yugoslavia

Position: Striker/Winger

Clubs: Tennis Borussia Berlin, Hamburger SV, AaB (loan), Horsens (loan), Burnley, Rosenborg (loan), Horsens (loan), Arminia Bielefeld, Brisbane Roar

Signed By Steve Cotterill

Burnley Fee: £340.000 from Hamburg SV

Clarets Debut: No Competative Games played

Last Game For Burnley: As above

Claret Stats: 0 Appearances, No Goals

Claret Hounours: None

International Honours: Albainian International 17 Caps, No Goals

Claret Stat: Besart was born in Pristine, Kosovo, in the heart of Yugoslavia, In an attempt to pursue a  career in football the winger went to Berlin and to Tennis Borussia, it wasnt long before he was snapped up by Hamburg SV, where he started the 2004/05 season.

Besart went out on loan twice during his time in Hamburg , AaB and at AC Horsens both in Denmark, at AC Horsens he would become their top goalscorer with eleven goals. Besart also had the honour of becoming the first Albanian to score a goal in the Champions League when he scored for AC Horsens in the 3-2 win over CSKA Moscow. He returned to Hamburg in 2006/07 playing in 12 games (9 as substitute)

Besart was wearing the red of his national side in an International friendly match against England 'B' staged at Turf Moor in 2007, where he would light up the place with his pace and slight of foot and a glorious strike that beat Premiership goalkeeper Scot Carson from 20 yards, and another Strike that had the keeper beat all ends up just to see the effort rebound back off the bar.

Steve Cotterill beat many clubs to sign Besart for £340.000 when the Albainian signed on the dotted line for the Clarets on July 3rd. His Burnley career has yet to start, when a terrible cruciate ligament injury while away in Malta on International duty, the injury was not expected to be serious but on further examination it was revealed that the injury would keep Besart out for the entire season

Berisha who’s pre-season games in 2007/08 saw him played out of position on the left wing, he did look comfortable with the ball at his feet. Burnley fans were hoping it wouldn't take the wide man too long to get use to the speed and harshness of life in the Championship, this hope wasn't recognised, he didnt managed a single outing for Burnley and when the following season, Owen Coyle sent Besart out on loan to Norwegian side Rosenborg before the 2008/09 league season got underway.

Coyle announced  "Bes will go on loan to Rosenborg until 31st December. This will enable him to get match games which are vital for his rehabilitation,"  Rosenborg picked Bes within 48 hours of him starting his loan spell, and he re payed them by scoring twice on his debut, Rosenborg winning 3-1.

Bes returned to Burnley and was almost immediately sent back out on loan this time to AC Horsens in the Danish league. Besart was sent home from Horsens in May 2009, after an undisclosed altercation on the training ground. After a successful trial in August 2009 Besart returned to Germany with  Arminia Bielefeld, where he signed a three year deal with them and it is believed the transfer fee is around £75,000

On 16 August 2011, Brisbane Roar manager Ange Postecoglou announced that Berisha has agreed a one year deal with the 2010–11 A-League. Berisha scored his first goal for Brisbane Roar against Sydney FC. Berisha scored four goals in a 7–1 thrashing against Adelaide United, Brisbane's biggest ever victory and making him the first player to score more than three goals in a single game for the club.

In the 2012 A-League Grand Final against Perth Glory, Berisha scored two, the second was in the final seconds via a penalty, 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, having scored against F.C. Tokyo in the Asian Champions League.

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

Burnley didn't see the best of Besart, in fact only a few saw him at all! A goal of great skill and determination in a pre-season game at Accrington Stanley and a run out in a 'B'  International at Turf Moor is the only memory us Clarets have of the wide-man.