Valon Berisha: From Scandinavia to a memorable Kosovo debut

Berisha was born in Malmö, Sweden, and started to develop his playing skills in Norwegian clubs of Egersund and Viking. Very early he was recognized as one of the greatest talents in his area.

In Norway, he made his debut at senior level at the age of 17. Interestingly, his first senior goal was immediately nominated for the Goal of the Season award.

The comparisons with Norway legendary striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could not be avoided, with English giants such as Chelsea, Manchester City, and Aston Villa offering trials to this promising youngster. However, in 2012 Berisha decided to join the ambitious project of Red Bull Salzburg.

Simultaneously, Berisha played for all youth categories of the Norway national football team, to record the first appearance for the senior squad in a January 2012 friendly against Denmark.

When Kosovo became a full member of UEFA and FIFA, Valon Berisha confirmed his switch of allegiance, and could not have dreamt of a better debut. In the first Kosovo appearance in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, away at Finland, Berisha converted a penalty on 60 minutes to equalize (1:1) and earn his team a historic point.

Football is an important factor in Berisha family, since Valon's younger brother Veton Berisha is a Greuther Fürth player, and has debuted in May 2016 for Norway, soon scoring his first international goal for the Norwegian senior team, against Belgium.

"Me and my family have deep emotional ties to both Kosovo and Norway, but my devotion to Kosovo is extraordinary, especially since gaining independence. Now, me and my brother will represent both our countries. This was a difficult decision to make, and I hope everyone can respect this", explained Berisha.

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