Happy one moment, volatile the next, Besart Berisha is certainly an enigma of the Hyundai A-League and in his current form he is a strange but dominant player.
For every person, there is a song. It-s a song that rings true, a tune that encapsulates everything about them.
It-s the song that they could play as the credits are rolled when the final whistle is blown in the game of life.
For Besart Berisha, that song would be Grand Master Flash and The Furious Five-s immortal Hip-Hop rallying cry, ‘The Message’.
“Don-t push me ‘cause I-m close to the edge, I-m trying not to lose my head, It-s like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from goin- under…”
With his iconic Mohawk, that makes him look like an escapee from the 1979 cult film ‘The Warriors’ and a dead-eye stare that he seems to have borrowed from Ren & Stimpy, Berisha seems to be a striker on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
His altercations with teammates, like his exchange with Issey Nakajima-Farran on the weekend, are both comical and endearing – unless you-re on the receiving end.
Truth is, you never know what-s going to occur next with the charismatic Albanian, and you get the sense he-s not so sure either.
One minute he-s flashing his angry eyes, the next he-s in an embrace with a team mate or having a soothing word to an opponent as if they-re a long lost relative.
It makes him the most compelling player to watch in the Hyundai A-League.
The Albanian striker is having a season to remember, having scored a remarkable 19 goals in the season so far, 10 more than any other player in the competition. His ability to unpick the stingiest defences with arrowing, powerful runs and exquisite timing has become Ange Postecoglou-s greatest weapon.
Berisha makes things happen. Along with the guile and speed of Henrique they provide a contrast in style and temperament that seems to complement one another perfectly.
One can only imagine what the bubbly Brazilian makes of his strike partner-s exuberance and volatility. He-ll certainly have a few tall tales to tell when he eventually returns to Sao Paulo.
For the game in game in general, Berisha has been a god send.
There was a period where imported talent seem to be bargain basement, all promise and no delivery (Leandro Love anyone?)
Berisha-s football has reaffirmed the value of smart recruiting. Along with the arrival of Carlos Hernandez at Melbourne Victory, Marcos Flores at Adelaide United and his teammate Thomas Broich, Berisha-s performance proves that there is talent beyond our shores that can come to the Hyundai A-League and add significant value.
The contribution of these players has demanded a higher standard from local players and it-s fair to say they-ve responded accordingly.
And more than that, he-s given the Hyundai A-League something that it seems to lack – character. Footballers have become a fairly generic bunch.
You could never say that about Besart Berisha -The Grandmaster Flash of the 6 yard box.
