Besart Berisha, the current Melbourne Victory forward, recently stated that he could have joined a couple of Premier League giants instead of Burnley. The 31-year-old did join Burnley in 2007 but it could have been all so different for the Albanian.
Berisha was capped 17 times by the Albanian national side and was in incredible touch and form when his country faced an England “B” side at Turf Moor. Berisha was brilliant in the game, even though his side lost 3-1, he was in the limelight post the match.
The two clubs rumoured to have been linked with him were Liverpool and Manchester United. Berisha was quoted by the A-League’s official website, as he confirmed interest from the two Premier League giants.
“I played against England, an unbelievable game. I was in the top [form] and good shape.
“Really I remember all the Premier League clubs look at me but Burnley signed me quick,” Berisha told the A-League’s official website.
“But I heard other clubs were interested too. My manager told me something about Manchester United and Liverpool were also interested.”
Berisha did really well in that game against England B. He scored against former Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson and even gave a headache to Ledley King. While the Albanian did look like a Premier League striker, he decided to join Burnley after the match.
“I remember, I was on top [at the time]. I was playing for Hamburg at the time and super strong.
“But I signed with Burnley on a three-year deal because the coach [Scottish manager Steven Caldwell] wanted me and I liked the stadium [Turf Moor].
“It was great for me and I liked the special supporters at Burnley. I loved it.”
Burnley are back in the Premier League this season but Berisha joining the Reds way back in 2007 certainly could have helped the side out. The Reds were having a tough time replacing strikers such as Milan Baros and Djibril Cisse. Well, the Reds actually needed a proper goal scoring forward , something they found later in Peter Crouch.
Even Fernando Morientes could not stop the scoring issues for the Reds and was let go after just one season at the club.
Going strong in Australia
It has been a bit of a journey for the Albanian but he has found his home in Australia. Berisha has scored 92 goals for the Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory in the A-League and is going strong. The 31-year-old has also played for clubs such as Rosenborg and Arminia Bielefeld but his time at Burnley was plagued with injury.
Sadly for Berisha, he was unable to make an appearance for the club but England’s loss has been Australia’s gain. Berisha has won the A-League Premiership twice and the A-League Championship thrice and will be looking for another title this season.
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