Safet Berisha (1949-2016) | Albanian Football Stars!

Safet Berisha (April 19, 1949 – October 19, 2016) is undoubtedly one of the stars of Albanian football and the best center back of all time.

He was a part of Lokomotiv Durres, of course, especially Partizan, but also many matches with the national team, where he held the captain’s armband in both of these teams. He left football at a young age, only 33 years old precisely in 1982. His presence at the international level, where he took part in the qualifiers for the World Cup, the European Championship and also in the Champions Cup (Champions League today), is unforgettable.

He lived and worked until he passed away in Arezzo, Italy, in a sector where accuracy and speed is the main thing, just like in football. He ran an ambulance that responded to emergency calls with the numbers 118.

Let’s go back a little in time and quote the stages of the career of one of the most successful defenders of Albanian football.

Born in Durres on April 19, 1949 (there is another date that appears as October 19).

He was raised by two parents who adopted him. His football career began from 1965 to 1983, in a period of 15 years in the first team of Lokomotiva, Partizan, “Shpresa” (Albanian Under 21 Team) and “Kombëtare” (National Albanian Team).

Was lucky enough to play with the old generation of Partizan, of the art generation, but also with the following ones, such as Perlat Musta, Ilir Lame, Mustafa Fagu, Arjan Ahmetaj, and many others.

To be exact, he started with football in 1963 with the teams of the pioneers of Durres, in the “Spartakiada” of Pioneers, an activity that took place on the beach of Durres.

Participates in two of those “Spartakiades”: 1963 and 1964. In the season of 1965-1966 National championship, he was a youth player. At that time, a defender with a tall physical stature. Lokomotiva’s first team was playing in Korçë and the center back Petraq Ikonomi was injured while staying in Korçë.

The next match for Lokomotiva, led by the great Loro Borici, was against Vllaznia in Durrës. And it will be Loro Borici himself who will include him in the first team on this occasion, when Safet Berisha was only 17 years old, one of the team’s youngsters entering the first team.

From this match and until he becomes active with Partizan, he will be the team’s starter for three championships in a row. In 1968, he was called to perform military service, transferring to Partizan. He did not immediately become a part of the team, because then Partizan had a very consolidated team and Spiro Gjika was in the center of the defense.

They sent him to Fier, to gain experience. A soldier in Fier, participates in the “Apolonia” Cup, a lively activity between Fier, Lushnja, Berat and Vlora. It was a small mini-championship. He becomes the winner of the “Apolonia” Cup, where he even scores two goals. Directly after those matches, Safet Berisha joined the Under 21 team that would play against Romania in Sibiu in 1969, valid for the Balkan U21 Championship.

Immediately after returning, he did not go to Fier or Durrës, but to Partizani, where Loro Boriçi had come as coach at the time, even at the latter’s request. It was the time when Astrit Ziu, Bujar Cani, Sabah Bizi, Torez Çiraku, Luke Shaqiri and above all Panajot, Pano, a legend who will never be forgotten, came to Partizan.

With the hard work, the help of his friends, the predisposition of coach Boriçi, Safet Berisha always played in the starting line-up until 1983, when he said goodbye to football.

At Partizani, Safet will play a full 14 seasons, during the golden years where this team will win the Championship titles, Republican Cup and even the title of a Balkan cup with clubs. (a type of Balkan Champions League, with the champions of the Balkan national championships).

The central defender, the indomitable Safet Berisha, has also played a considerable number of matches with the national team, in which in the last years of his career he was also the captain of the team. It was accumulated in 1970 and the last match was in 1982. Active in over 90 percent of the matches that it has accumulated, counting 20 meetings. The first match was against Turkey, in Istanbul for the qualifiers of the European Championship (December 13, 1970), when he was 21 years old.

He left the national team at the age of 32. In the last match with the Federal Republic of Germany, on November 18, 1981, we lost 8-0 in Dortmund. Safet Berisha has played against names like Rrummenigge, Shuster, Shakner, Pezzey and many other champions of that golden age.

Safet Berisha  together with the famous player, the West German Rummenigge before the Albania – RF match. German in 1981 in Tirana.

Safet Berisha together with Bruno Pezzey, the Austrian who also played with Inter, in 1974 in Tirana.In Albania, even today, the fans still have a deep respect and the freshest and most beautiful memories as if he had not left football. never. It must be said for the sake of truth that football, like many other things, has been affected a little by the management policy. However, this sport in Albania was very popular, it was one of the few things available for entertainment.

What about today?

It was no coincidence that the stadiums at that time were very full of spectators and even families. It was a completely enjoyable sports atmosphere compared to what stadiums and football offer today. The senior leaders of the state, who dominated every institution for 45 years, thought that after a few years, some time had passed, some of the football players should be changed in order not to create a monotony and boredom among football fans.

This was the reason that Safet Berisha will be forced to end his career.

In 1992, it became possible for him to leave to live in Italy with a regular work contract, which stabilized at that time in Bari. Here he started working as a bus driver, which he continued for 6 years in a row. In 1998, he moved to Arezzo, where he lived until he passed away in 2016. Safet Berisha felt very well in Italy, settled and better adapted to the current life after so many years in emigration. He expressed himself as follows: “The manner and discipline that we had in the football game in Albania, has helped me to adapt to the situation and work in Italy”. He won three championships with Partizan, four cups and a Balkan Champion title (1970). In the last ten years of his career, he won the survey of the “11 best sportsmen” of Albania, which was voted by the coaches, while in 1978 he was awarded the title of “Honored Master of Sports”.

Nicknamed “15-katshi”  (15 floor building because of his high stature) Safet Berisha was among the tallest football players in Albania.

When the “Tirana International” hotel was built in Tirana, the only building at the time with 15 floors and the highest in Albania, the hotel received the nickname “Hotel Berisha”.

The Shkodrans were the authors of this nickname, as the famous rhymers “Bejtexhinj” that they are. Berisha received the 15th goal during a match in the Cup of the Republic between Vllaznia and Partizan. In the Vllaznia-Partizani match, he jumps and scores a goal with header. Safeti himself would be part of Vllaznia during an international match with Austria Vienna, with 1978 (2-0) where he as a defender was one of the best players of that meeting.

March 2021

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