Melbourne Victory striker Besart Berisha says team rather than individual success was his main motivator as he broke the Hyundai A-League’s all-time scoring record on Monday night.
Berisha’s first-half penalty in Victory’s 4-2 win over Newcastle Jets in Geelong saw him reach 91 Hyundai A-League goals, surpassing former teammate Archie Thompson.
“I’m very thankful to break the record,” Berisha said. “Of course, I was thinking about it, but the most important thing was that I stayed focussed and perform good for the boys and help them.”
Victory head coach Kevin Muscat agreed Berisha’s constant thirst for scoring goals in order to play his part for the team was the Albania international’s top priority.
“I’m pleased for him, because he’s proud to have broken that record at the same club where the person played who held the record,” Muscat said.
“I’ve got nothing but praise for Archie, but for Bes to surpass him, it was only a matter of time.
“But make no mistake, he’ll wake up tomorrow thinking about when the next goal is going to come. He won’t be worried about the previous 91.”
Berisha’s 91 goals have come from 142 Hyundai A-League appearances. Take a look at the stats:
How his goals were scored:
Right foot – 45
Left foot – 33
Header – 13
Where they were scored from:
Inside box (including 15 penalties) – 85
Outside box – 6
When they were scored:
First half – 46
Second half – 45
Where they were scored:
Home – 54
Away – 37
Also…
Berisha has scored seven Finals Series goals, including four in Grand Finals.
He has netted 13 braces during his Hyundai A-League career, to go with four hat-tricks (including a four-goal haul).
