In recent weeks Bernard Berisha has played like a man possessed, driving Akhmat Grozny onwards through sheer force of will alone at times. Of all players to have played as many minutes as him in this season of the RPL, only Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has attempted more dribbles per 90 minutes, and he went into this matchday one goal off the leading goalscorers. In the continued injury-enforced absence of club captain Rizvan Utsiev the armband needed filling - Berisha’s biceps fit better than anyone’s. But how did he arrive as the King of the Akhmat Arena?

The story so far

Bernard Berisha is not a man to simply fly under the radar. His playing style is terrifying for defenders to deal with, while his natural authority commands respect from his teammates on the pitch. He was voted into an all-time best XI for Anzhi Makhachkala earlier this year in a post put out by the club’s official account, despite spending just 12 months at the club, and before that he wasted little time making his mark at his previous employers KF Skenderbeu in the Albanian Kategorie Superiore.

For a man of such unavoidable influence, it is perhaps fitting that he was born in the ancient town of Peja, a place that dates back thousands of years and still bears reminders of its long, winding history. It is said to have the most preserved Roman monuments in Kosovo, and would later be the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the mid-14th century, while the Patriachate of Pec Monastery - built in the 13th century - is a UNESCO World Heriatge site. At various points in its history, it was part of the Ottoman, Byzantine and Austro-Hungarian Empires.

His childhood was played out with a backdrop of conflict in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When he was just eight years old, Peja saw over four-fifths of houses either heavily damaged or completely destroyed during the Kosovo War, but a decade later it was in the city that Berisha took his first steps in professional football as he made his debut for FC Besa Peje in 2010. After a productive two years there he moved to KS Besa Kavaje, who had ventured into Europe at the turn of the decade, before moving on to newly-revamped powerhouses Skenderbeu in 2014.

Berisha made his debut in a Champions League second leg qualifiers against BATE Borisov, before winning a trophy - the Albanian Super Cup - in his second match. He ended the season as an Albanian champion, and played every game as Skenderbeu entered the Europa League group stages where they lost home and away to Lokomotiv Moscow. Within six months would move to the Russian Premier Liga with Anzhi Makhachkala. It was anything but plain sailing as Anzhi scraped through a relegation battle after losing seven of Berisha’s first nine league games, although he did score his first goal on his first start for the club away to Ural Ekaterinburg in March 2016. 

Having featured in every game for the Dagestanis before the winter break the following season, he moved to Akhmat in January 2017 but struggled to hold down a regular place, starting just three of their fixtures in the spring. He only managed to score one goal over the next two full seasons, and three more last campaign, but this season he has already doubled his previous highest tally in league goals since moving to Russia five years ago. In the absence of injured club captain Rizvan Utsiev, he has worn the armband instyle.  

Plays like...

Xherdan Shaqiri. Both are native Kosovans, and although Shaqiri emigrated to Switzerland - for whom he has won 85 international caps - the similarities remain. At first glance Berisha’s game is built on a rather blunt combination of pace and power, but it would be doing a massive disservice to his impact in the final third. Like the Liverpool winger, Berisha is a short and stocky build, making him incredibly hard to knock off the ball. Even though the stages are quite different, the manner in which Shaqiri drives Switzerland through force of character is similar to Berisha’s leading role at Akhmat.

Did you know?

Despite being a town of just 45,000 inhabitants, Berisha’s birthplace Peja has produced three players to feature in the Russian Premier Liga - including Berisha - but they have represented different national teams. Fatos Beciraj, who played for Dynamo Moscow between 2016 and 2017, and Vladimir Bozovic, who got promoted from the FNL with Mordovia Saransk in 2014 before spending a season in the top flight, both featured for Montenegro. On top of that, Kosovo’s only Olympic gold medallist, judo champion Majlinda Kelmendi, and Yugoslavian Olympic gold medalist and 1960 European Championship runner up Milutin Soskic, were both born in the city.

They say…

“He always aims at the opposition' goal, is unstoppable, fights for the club in every match, and gives all his strength.” - Magomed Daudov, Akhmat president, after awarding Berisha a Toyota Solaris for his goal against FC Tambov last season

“Today, Akhmat had Berisha on the field, but we, unfortunately, did not have such a player. We will wait and see which of the newcomers will take on this role of leader… Of course, when a player single-handedly beats the entire defensive line, it means that something is wrong with it.” - FC Ufa Chairman Rostislav Murzagulov after Berisha inspired 10-man Akhmat to a 3-1 win in October

“There are people who carry the leadership burden. I knew that Berisha would be the one to carry the team's energy that we were missing.” - Andrey Talalaev on the decision to award Berisha with the captain armband.

Photo: Anzhi, Akhmat, Skenderbeu