Etrit Berisha

Berisha is noted for his height (1.94 m), reach and reflexes, attributes that assist him in aerial duels and one-on-one situations. He is also an authoritative organiser of his defence and communicates frequently with his teammates, traits that have been remarked upon since his early years at Kalmar. Unusually for a goalkeeper, Berisha has frequently taken and converted penalties. He records four goals from the penalty spot during his spell at Kalmar FF (with one recorded penalty missed in his career overview), underlining his rare dual role as both shot-stopper and spot-kick taker. Media coverage of key cup matches has emphasised Berisha's composure in high-pressure penalty situations. For example, contemporary reports of a Swedish Cup final noted that he "saved two penalties and one he scored himself", a sequence that was widely reported as decisive in the outcome. In interviews Berisha has described how earlier team-mates and coaches influenced his role as a penalty taker. After the cup final he said: "I learned these from Henke. He took penalties at Kalmar and after a match we played against Malmo, it was almost the same situation as in the final. It was Nanne who at that time said that I should become a penalty taker after I had scored many goals in training." Contemporaneous reportage from Kalmar's move to Lazio described him as "a fast-reacting goalkeeper who likes to verbally organise the defence." He stated that his favourite player and role model is the Dutch…

Early career

Berisha was born in Pristina, Kosovo, and began playing football at the age of eight as a midfielder before switching to goalkeeper. He began his youth career with 2 Korriku, but his development was interrupted by the Kosovo War, after which he joined KEK-u in Obiliq/Kastriot, where he spent three years and also trained temporarily with Bashkimi in Kumanovo, Macedonia, before ultimately returning to 2 Korriku and progressing to the senior team in 2007.

Kalmar

He joined Swedish club Kalmar FF in January 2008 following a trial arranged by Albert Bunjaki, who was then a member of Kalmar's coaching staff and head coach of the unofficial Kosovo national team. He was part of the Kalmar squad that won the 2008 Allsvenskan, serving as one of the club's three goalkeepers, although he did not make a league appearance during the season. On 28 August 2008, he was named in the matchday squad for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup second qualifying round match against Gent, marking his first and only inclusion in a UEFA competition that season, although he did not make an appearance as Kalmar won 4–0. While still part of Kalmar's U21 team, he was loaned to Swedish fourth-tier club Lindsdals IF for the 2009 season, making 14 league appearances, receiving a red card, and helping the team finish third. He returned to Kalmar for the 2010 season and was promoted to the first team, becoming a regular member of the matchday squads for Allsvenskan matches from March onward.…

Berisha represented Kosovo at youth level and also made appearances for the senior team in unofficial friendlies between 2010 and 2011. Berisha received his first call-up to the Albania national team in May 2012 from coach Gianni De Biasi for two friendly matches, making his debut later that month with a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory over Iran. On 1 June, Berisha obtained Albanian citizenship, becoming eligible for competitive fixtures, and was subsequently included in the squad for the opening two 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September 2012, remaining an unused substitute in both matches, before making his competitive debut on 16 October by keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 home victory over Slovenia, Albania's first win against them. Berisha became Albania's starting goalkeeper for the remainder of the campaign. On 22 March 2013, he kept a clean sheet in Albania's 1–0 away win against Norway in Oslo, making a late save from Mohammed Abdellaoue to preserve the victory. Albania finished the group with ten points and did not progress to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

UEFA Euro 2016 campaign

After the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, Samir Ujkani switched allegiance to the Kosovo national team, leaving Berisha as Albania's only first-choice goalkeeper. He started Albania's opening match of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers away to Portugal on 7 September 2014, delivering an effective performance in a 1–0 win — Albania's first victory against Portugal. Berisha also started…

Berisha was born in Pristina, Kosovo, and is of Albanian ethnicity. He is a cousin of Drilon Berisha, a former footballer who played for the Kosovan club Prishtina and the Armenian club Ulisses. In January 2013, he revealed that he had applied for Swedish citizenship after residing in the country for five years since joining Kalmar FF from his hometown club 2 Korriku, stating that acquiring Swedish nationality would allow him to hold triple citizenship (Kosovo, Albania and Sweden) and could facilitate his future career in European football as an EU player, describing it as "a step forward for my professional future". Following Albania's historic participation at UEFA Euro 2016, Berisha was among the members of the national team who were issued diplomatic passports by the Albanian government in recognition of their achievement.