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Thank you, Bes

Zach Rees new author
Roar Rookie
30th June, 2018
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Besart Berisha celebrates a goal for Melbourne. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)
Zach Rees new author
Roar Rookie
30th June, 2018
9

Melbourne Victory FC, Australia’s joint most successful football club, have been lucky enough to have been able to boast some magical foreign players in their starting line-up.

From Carlos Hernandez and his outrageous long-range efforts, to Matthieu Delpierre, the brick wall in the middle of the defence, to Gui Finkler, the free-kick guru, the Victory have had their fair share of legendary imports.

There is one though, who stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Besart Berisha signed for Melbourne with an already impressive record in Australia. He had racked up 57 goals over three seasons at Brisbane Roar, picking up a golden boot and an A-League title along the way.

He arrived at AAMI Park with a fiery reputation, a bad temper and a sharp eye for goal. This reputation was lived up to and taken to further heights as he screamed and scored his way into Victory folklore.

Turn your mind back to the 25th of April, 2014. Having already appeased the Victory faithful two weeks earlier from the penalty spot on debut against the Western Sydney Wanderers, Berisha was in the starting line-up for his third game…the Melbourne derby.

It is in these games and moments that Berisha is the truest version of himself. He coolly scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win to secure Melbourne Victory’s supremacy over their rivals and his place in the hearts of the fans. He is a person fuelled by passion and pressure and he is no stranger to either force.

Having walked almost 1,200km as an eight-year-old from Pristina to Berlin to escape the raging conflict in the Balkans, Berisha is all too familiar with the pressure of carrying the expectations and hopes of many.

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At age 14 he was already contributing to his family’s income via his right foot, earning him $50 per performance.

“I had to take responsibility from an early age and when that is the situation you have to develop a winning mentality” Berisha wrote in his Players Voice article.

This winning mentality has never left him, and it is something he brings onto the field with him every time he plays. He wants to win but he also needs to win. The ferociousness of his desire if something that has earned him his cult hero status among the Victory fans.

Barbarouses Berisha

Besart Berisha of the Victory celebrates a goal with Kosta Barbarouses. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

The adulation he receives is also buoyed by his long list of accolades. His league record of 116 goals, eight of which have come in final series have led to two golden boot awards, a total of four A-League titles and one FFA Cup title.

This makes him the most prolific goal scorer ever in Australian football and one of its most decorated players.

Berisha’s goals may win games but it is his passion and approach to life that has won him his fans. The ‘do or die’ attitude and his necessity to win has, in a way, helped add some legitimacy to a league often accused of lacking real emotion and feeling.

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The A-League is a competition thought of by many as somewhere ageing players go for one last hoorah and where young players make a name for themselves before rushing off to Europe.

Berisha, however, helped change this notion in a massive way. At his peak, Berisha could have played elsewhere in Asia for a higher salary.

However, he stuck with Australia and in his time here was able to develop a very close relationship with the fans.

“I feel connected with the supporters, the people, the coach and I want to be here forever”, Besart’s genuine love for Australian football and its supporters is clear and is a love that causes fans to attend and sing their hearts out week in and week out.

For many at Victory he was their first footballing hero, I know he has been mine.

He’s also someone that truly wears his heart on his sleeve. His passionate outbursts like his clash with Dean Bouzanis and wildly over the top celebrations in the February 2017 derby, or his sharing of tears with fans after late heartbreak against Brisbane in the 15-16 finals series make this clear.

Besart Berisha of Victory celebrates after scoring a goal

Besart Berisha celebrates a goal for Melbourne. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)

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It also makes clear to fans that he is really just one of us, he wouldn’t be out of place sitting in the North Terrace or South End at AAMI Park and that’s what makes him so great.

Love him or hate him it is undeniable that he has helped fuel rivalries, passions and dreams, contributing massively to the history and legend of the A-League.

These are all factors that add to the drama and excitement that encompass the emotion that football is capable of conjuring.

It’s what causes people to sing, to get out of their seats and to follow their teams across the country. It’s an emotion that creates a real and legitimate footballing culture and one that has helped put Australia onto the path of becoming the footballing nation it should have always been.

Berisha often made note of how grateful he has been for what Australia has done for him. As he departs, I am sure Australia feels the same way about what he has done for us.

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