After news broke of Besart Berisha’s defection from
Brisbane Roar to Melbourne Victory last week, I couldn’t help but feel (as a
Brisbanite) that the hearts of many Brisbane Roar fans broke with it. When the
then 26 year old Albanian arrived in Brisbane two and a half years ago, many Roar
fans wondered what this striker could possibly bring to a side that had already
won an A-League title just four months earlier. In a side that boasted the
likes of the newly imported playmaker Thomas Broich, it seemed Berisha would
have to bring something extra special to a team that seemingly had it all. He
did that and more after scoring 19 goals in his debut season for the club, which
led to the Roar winning their second A-League championship. In a thrilling
Grand Final match, which saw the Roar down Perth Glory 2-1, the Albanian
striker sealed another Grand Final trophy for Brisbane as he calmly slotted a
penalty goal late in the game. Since that day, both Besart Berisha and the
Brisbane Roar have gone from strength to strength.
Since Berisha’s arrival at the club, the Roar have won an A-League championship (their second in total), reached an Australian record of 36 games undefeated (a record in any Australian Football code) and, as of this week, are on track to win their second minor premiership. While it does hurt to see a legend leave, even when he has so much more to offer, it’s important to remember what he did for the club in the time he was there. There can be no doubt that Besart Berisha gave everything he ever had when it came to playing for the Roar. When the 90 minutes were up, the Albanian left it all behind on the football pitch. No one (not least in Brisbane) will ever forget the Football he played for us while he was a Roar player. There are very few players like Besart Berisha that come along and leave such a huge impact on a club. Two former footballers who similarly left a huge mark on their football clubs were Gabriel Batistuta and Henrik Larsson.
Since Berisha’s arrival at the club, the Roar have won an A-League championship (their second in total), reached an Australian record of 36 games undefeated (a record in any Australian Football code) and, as of this week, are on track to win their second minor premiership. While it does hurt to see a legend leave, even when he has so much more to offer, it’s important to remember what he did for the club in the time he was there. There can be no doubt that Besart Berisha gave everything he ever had when it came to playing for the Roar. When the 90 minutes were up, the Albanian left it all behind on the football pitch. No one (not least in Brisbane) will ever forget the Football he played for us while he was a Roar player. There are very few players like Besart Berisha that come along and leave such a huge impact on a club. Two former footballers who similarly left a huge mark on their football clubs were Gabriel Batistuta and Henrik Larsson.
Batistuta and Larsson both served long stints at their respective clubs and left nothing to be desired when on a football pitch. Former Argentine international Batistuta played for Fiorentina for nine years between 1991-2000. Although the club achieved a moderate amount of success during his time there, the Argentine ultimately left the club in 2000 to sign for AS Roma as he “wanted to win silverware”. Although the hearts of many Fiorentina fans were left broken, Batistuta could not forget his time spent at the club as he refused to celebrate a goal he scored against his old club. After firing in a beautiful goal from long range, Roma teammates swarmed Batistuta in celebration but it was not particularly rewarding for the Argentine, as he was seen holding back to tears during the post-goal celebrations. Former Swedish International Henrik Larsson also had the same predicament after scoring a goal for FC Barcelona against his old club Celtic FC. Larsson was similarly solemn during his post-goal celebration and could not bring himself to enjoy the moment.
Whether or not this will be the case for Berisha once he leaves Brisbane is another story. Although he ultimately left Brisbane for the money, after being given an offer he couldn’t refuse, it’s a situation you cannot judge/applaud him for unless you’ve been in that situation yourself. I for one hope we don’t see a repeat of what happened back in 2012 when Ange Postecoglou jumped ship from Brisbane Roar to coach Melbourne Victory. In the blink of an eye, Ange supporters had gone from loving the man to cursing him. Ironically it is the same club which has broken the hearts of Roar fans yet again. So when the 2013/14 A-League season comes to a close in April this year, rather than raising your voice or concerns about Berisha’s defection from Brisbane (if you’re a Roar supporter), why not raise your glass and toast a man who gave this club everything it could have possibly wanted. Because when it came down to the crunch, Besart Berisha left it all on the field and gave it his all.
Written by Alex Stilianos.
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