The Longside Reference

Name: Bersart Berisha

Website: Bersart 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: Bersart was born in Pristine, Kosovo, in the heart of Yugoslavia, his early career took the winger to Tennis Borussia Berlin in an atempt to persue a career in football.  Soon he was snapped up by Hamburg SV, iwhere he started the 2004/05 season.

Besart went out on loan twice during his time in Hamburg , AaB in Denmark and at AC Horsens where he would become the leagues top goalscorer .He returned to Hamburg in 2006/07 playing in 12 games (9 as substitute). Bersart 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.

Bersart was wearing the red of his national side (Albania) in an International friendly match against England 'B' 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 Bersart 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 Bersart 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.

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