Valon Berisha's confrontation with the representative of the state where he was born and from which he was expelled

Kosovo faced Sweden in January last year. However, both Kosovo and Sweden played with the B teams. The friendly match that took place in Doha, Qatar, Kosovo lost with the result 1:0. The upcoming match with Sweden is of great value and the representatives will present themselves with the strongest compositions. Much is expected from Valon Berisha in Kosovo. He is highly motivated. "Sweden, at that time when we were refugees, did not accept us, deported us to Norway. Norway also has a great rivalry with Sweden and I have two reasons to defeat it", says Berisha

Pristina, March 7 - Valon Berisha has no memory of Sweden. He was very young when he and his family were deported from Sweden to Norway, the other Scandinavian country where he grew up and developed as a professional football player.

Berisha, now an important midfielder for Kosovo, was born in Malmo, Sweden, while he grew up in Egersund, Norway. In sports, Sweden and Norway have a pretty big rivalry. But rival Sweden will have Kosovo this month.

The Swedes are the first opponents of "Dardans" in the second qualifying cycle for the World Championship since Kosovo was admitted to UEFA and FIFA. The opening match of Kosovo in the qualifying campaign for the "Qatar 2022" World Cup, against Sweden, takes place on March 28 at the "Fadil Vokrri" stadium in Pristina.

Berisha says that there are two reasons to score a victory against the representative of the state where he was born.

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"I was born in Sweden, but I want to beat Sweden. Sweden, at that time when we were refugees, did not accept us, deported us to Norway. Norway also has a great rivalry with Sweden and I have two reasons to defeat it", said Berisha on Sunday in a conversation with KOĖN.

"I have had no contact with Sweden, I have always been for Norway. The only option I had then was Albania, but then I was young, while now my best choice is that I have chosen to play for Kosovo. God has written that my career will continue with Kosovo".

Kosovo faced Sweden in January last year. However, both Kosovo and Sweden played with their B teams. Kosovo lost the friendly match that took place in Doha, Qatar with the result 1:0. Berisha was not in that match.

Berisha enjoys great respect from Norway. He is credited with the contribution he made to Norway. He will remain as one of the players who had the opportunity to play for Norway at the time when he decided for another representative. In history, Berisha will remain in Kosovo for the first goal scored in an official qualifying match. He scored the first goal for Kosovo against Finland, a match on September 5, 2016 that ended 1:1. It was the first of the first eliminators for the World Cup, that of 2018. But then Kosovo lost all of them, while Berisha says that there is hope in this cycle.

Kosovo's opportunities

Berisha is the only player who decided to play for Kosovo, leaving another representative at the senior level, when he was an important part of it. The decision was received with sportsmanship by Norway, a country that continues to be represented by his younger brother, Vetoni.

Valon Berisha played 20 games for Norway, while for Kosovo since 2016 he has scored three goals in 26 appearances.

He is considered one of the leading players of the Kosovar national team. Meanwhile, the expectations from him are even greater.

Before the match against Sweden, Kosovo will face Lithuania in a friendly on March 24 in Pristina. On March 31, Kosovo plays in Sevilla against the giant of European football, Spain.

Berisha says that there is little chance of victory against Spain, but not against the other representatives of Group B.

Besides Sweden and Spain, Kosovo also has Greece and Georgia in the group. He also played against Greece in the second edition of the League of Nations. In Pristina, they lost 2:1, while in Athens they drew without goals.

"I see it as a difficult task, Spain is the favorite, Sweden is second in the group. But, I believe in our strengths, so anything is possible in football. We all know the power of Spain, which is one of the strongest representatives in football. But, against other teams, I'm not saying that we can't win. It makes me think that with all other countries we have our chances. There are three countries where we have the opportunity to show ourselves and score victories. Second place would be a tremendous success, but we must also look at the reality. We are dependent on appearances in the club, because we have been together for a long time. But we need to be in shape in the clubs where we play", said the footballer of the French team, Reims.

Berisha did not comment on the form that his teammates in Kosovo are going through in their clubs. But, he says that the representative is a great inspiration and that it does not affect the form that the players go through in their clubs.

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"The representative is an inspiration for all of us, so it's not the same to be in the club in super shape, because gathering with representatives is a good push for everyone. So, there have been cases when they didn't have space in the clubs, while they excelled for Kosovo. But, now even in our clubs we are showing higher form and we are appearing more", said Berisha.

Intention to stay long in France

Berisha's journey as a professional football player started in Egersund in Norway. He also played for Viking, while from 2012 to 2018 he appeared for Red Bull Salzburg of Austria. He made a big step in his career by moving from Salzburg to Lazio. But he left Italy without leaving a trace, while playing on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf.

In 2020, he broke his contract with Lazio to move to Reims in Ligue 1 of France.

He played 25 games for Reims in all competitions, scoring one goal and contributing three assists. He made the last assist days ago in the victory over Nantes with the result 2:1. It was also the assist in the winning goal scored at the end of the match.

"I'm feeling good, almost the whole season so far has gone well for me except for the beginning of the season when I had an injury that left me out of the field for 20 days. When I came back I needed to pick up the pace, but in the last game I performed well and I'm getting back in shape because I've had a knee problem for three weeks. But now in the last game I felt pretty good. There are things that happen in football, the main thing is that I am playing in almost all the matches", said Berisha.

He insists that he did not go to Lazio with injuries.

"I was not good at Lazio because of consecutive injuries. But, when I had good health, on the field wherever I played in clubs I was fine, because when a club transfers you, they take you to commit. I'm feeling good here in Reims. Another plus is that Arbëri helped me a lot in the beginning. It was a good decision for me, because they loved me in the club at all costs", he says.

Another Kosovo representative, Arbër Zeneli, is part of Reims. Ramsey is 12th in Ligue 1 with 34 points. The chances are small that they will secure the exit to Europe. But, according to Berisha, there are opportunities.

"We started badly, but we had a period of good games. Now this last victory was important to avoid the last one. From where we are to fifth place is a close race. But to get there, you need a good streak. Ambitions are to remain as good as possible. The start has ruined the plans we had, but I believe it will be alright".

Berisha has added that he will single out the duel against the French giant, Paris Saint-Germain. He emphasizes that such matches serve his career.

"From my arrival, of course the match against PSG is special. We played well, but Paris is Paris with all those stars. It was a good match for me to play against the stars, like Neymar, Mbappe, Di Maria and others. It was a match that did me a lot of good personally, because you see yourself where you are," said Berisha, who is valued at around 5 million euros in the transfer market.

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He has a contract with Reims until June 2024. He says that he has found stability in the French team where he intends to stay for a long time.

"I have no plans, I am doing well, I have signed a long contract, I will not rush. If there are successes, it may happen in the future, but I have no short-term intention to make any move. I am feeling good, I have signed a long contract and I am in no rush", said Berisha.