Besnik Ilmi Hasi (born 29 December 1971) is an Albanian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach and former player who was most recently the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of Saudi club Al-Ahli.

Club career

Born in

Gjakova Gjakova, ) and Đakovica ( sr-Cyrl, Ђаковица, ) is the seventh largest city of Kosovo and seat of Gjakova Municipality and Gjakova District. The city has 40,827 inhabitants, while the municipality has 94,556 inhabitants. Geographicall ...

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

(present day

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

), he began playing with his hometown team

KF Vëllaznimi Klubi i futbollit Vëllaznimi, commonly known as KF Vëllaznimi, or simply as Vëllaznimi is a football club based in Gjakova, Kosovo. They currently play in the second division of football in Kosovo, First Football League of Kosovo. History ...

at an early age before joining

KF Liria Klubi Futbollistik Liria Prizren (), commonly known as Liria, is a professional Football team, football club based in Prizren, Kosovo. The club plays in the First Football League of Kosovo, which is the second tier of football in the country. The ...

playing back then in the

Yugoslav Second League Yugoslav or Yugoslavian may refer to: * Yugoslavia, or any of the three historic states carrying that name: ** Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a European monarchy which existed 1918–1945 (officially called "Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" 1918–1 ...

where he began playing as a senior. He played one game with

FC Prishtina Football Club Prishtina ( sq, Klubi Futbollistik Prishtina, ; sr, Фудбалски клуб Приштина, Fudbalski klub Priština), commonly known as Prishtina, is a professional football club based in Prishtina, Kosovo. The club play i ...

in the

1991–92 Yugoslav First League The First League of Yugoslavia's 1991/1992 season was the 64th edition of the Yugoslav First League, the premier football club competition of SFR Yugoslavia. It was the last edition in which professional football teams from SR Bosnia and Herzegovi ...

. He then played with

NK Zagreb Nogometni klub Zagreb (''Zagreb Football Club''), commonly known as NK Zagreb or simply Zagreb (), is a Croatian amateur football club based in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb. It currently competes in the fifth tier league competition of ...

and

FK Dinamo Pančevo FK Dinamo Pančevo () was a defunct football club based in Pančevo, Vojvodina, Serbia. The club, founded in 1945, should not be confused with Dinamo 1945, founded in 2014. History Founded in 1945, the club made its competitive debut in the 194 ...

(on loan) still in Yugoslavia. In 1992, he returned to NK Zagreb, now playing in a newly formed

Croatian First League The Hrvatska nogometna liga () ( en, Croatian football league), also known as HNL or for sponsorship reasons the SuperSport HNL, is the top Croatian professional football (soccer), football league competition, established in 1992. Previously, i ...

and he also played with

NK Samobor Nogometni klub Samobor, commonly known as NK Samobor is a Croatian football club based in the town of Samobor in Zagreb County. Samobor currently plays in Četvrta HNL Center, the fourth tier in Croatian football. The club currently plays at the ...

before moving to Belgium. Hasi moved to

KRC Genk Koninklijke Racing Club Genk (), commonly known as KRC Genk, Racing Genk or simply Genk, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Genk in Belgian Limburg. Racing Genk plays in the Belgian Pro League and have won four champ ...

in mid-1994, then to

TSV 1860 Munich , commonly known as TSV 1860 München (; lettered as ) or 1860 Munich, is a sports club based in Munich. The club's football team currently plays in the 3. Liga, the third tier of German football. 1860 Munich was one of the founding members o ...

where he played only seven times during the 1997–98 season. He returned to KRC Genk establishing himself in starting lineup, winning the Belgian Title in the 1998–99 season. During his time at Genk, his family were forced to flee Kosovo to Albanian during the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...

. Hasi moved to

RSC Anderlecht ; french: Les Mauves et Blancs) , short name = R.S.C.A. , founded = , ground = Constant Vanden Stock Stadium , capacity = 22,500 , owntitle = Chairman , owner = Wouter Vandenhaute , manager = Brian Riemer ...

in May 2000 and, despite only playing 16

matches A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

in his first season due to injury problems, helped the club retain their league title. He played 30

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

s the following year, including five in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

to add to his five of the previous season. Groin and knee problems restricted Hasi to eleven league appearances and four UEFA Cup games in 2002–03, however, but he returned to fitness to help Anderlecht win back the Belgian crown the following season. In the 2004–05 season, he suffered torn

ligaments A ligament is the fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones. It is also known as ''articular ligament'', ''articular larua'', ''fibrous ligament'', or ''true ligament''. Other ligaments in the body include the: * Peritoneal li ...

in his left

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

and was out for three months, when he came back he was limited to just 14 starts as Anderlecht relinquished the title. Hasi moved to

Lokeren Lokeren () is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of East Flanders, and belongs to the Waasland, also called ''Land van Waas'', of which it is the second ...

during the 2005–06 season. On 11 June 2007, he signed a two-year contract with

Cercle Brugge Cercle Brugge Koninklijke Sportvereniging () is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges. Cercle have played in the Belgian Pro League since the 2003–04 season, having previously spent several years in the Belgian Second Divisio ...

International career

Albania

On 15 November 2000, Hasi made his debut with

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

after coming on as a substitute at 46th minute in place of Devi Muka, and he was one of the first

Kosovo Albanian The Albanians of Kosovo ( sq, Shqiptarët e Kosovës, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovar/Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars/Kosovans, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians belong to the ethnic Albanian sub-gr ...

to play for Albania. Hasi received the Albanian citizenship on 21 February 2001.

Kosovo

Six months after retiring from international football with Albania, on 15 June 2007, Hasi made his debut with

in a

against

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

after being named in the starting line-up and acting as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the team.

Managerial career

Anderlecht

Hasi retired at the end of the 2007–08 season and became the assistant manager of his former club

. He signed a two-year contract at the club in 2008. On 10 March 2014, Hasi replaced

John van den Brom Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...

as head coach. Following two and a half seasons with the club, Hasi was sacked on 26 May 2016 after losing the league title to rivals

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062.

Legia Warsaw

On 4 June 2016, Hasi was appointed as the new manager of Legia Warsaw. Due to poor results, notably the disastrous 6–0 home defeat to

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...

in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, Hasi was relieved of his duties on 18 September 2016.

Olympiacos

On 9 June 2017, Hasi was unveiled as the new manager of the Greek team

Olympiacos F.C. Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σ.Φ.Π. ), known simply as Olympiacos or Olympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professional football club based in Piraeus, Attica. Part of the major multi-sport club Olympiacos CFP ('' ...

, penning a two-year contract worth €600k per annum. The board chose him over other candidates based on his experience in

qualifying matches, with the objective of leading the Reds to the competition's group stage after a year's absence. The feat was officially accomplished on 22 August 2017, as the team pulled off a 3–1 aggregate victory (2–1 at home and 1–0 away) over

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

in the competition's

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

. Criticized for his substandard defensive coaching and man management, Hasi was relieved of his duties on 25 September 2017, due to a string of negative results including a 2–3 Champions League group stage home defeat against

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

, and successive league fixtures without a win, culminating to a 3–2 away loss to arch-rivals

AEK A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelf ...

despite being 0–2 up after just over 60 minutes of play.

Saudi Arabia

On 26 July 2018, Hasi was appointed as the manager of the Saudi Arabian club Al-Raed. During the 2019–20 season, Hasi lead Al-Raed to a fifth-place finish, their highest in the top flight. On 6 June 2021, Hasi was appointed as the manager of Al-Ahli. He was sacked on 4 March 2022 after a 1–0 defeat to Al-Ettifaq.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hasi goal.''

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Genk *

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 team ...

(1): 1998–99 *

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (french: link=no, Coupe de Belgique; nl, Beker van België []; german: link=no, Belgischer Fußballpokal) is the main Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgia ...

(1): 1999–2000 Belgian Cup, 1999–2000 Anderlecht *

(3): 2000-01 Belgian First Division, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06 *

Belgian Super Cup The Belgian Super Cup ( nl, Belgische Supercup, ; french: Supercoupe de Belgique; german: Belgischer Fußball-Super Cup), ''Pro League Supercup'', is a Belgian club competition played as a single match between the Belgian First Division A champion ...

(1):

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

Manager

Anderlecht *

(1): 2013–14 *

(1):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Individual * Saudi Professional League Manager of the Month: November & December 2019

References

External links

Besnik Hasi
at the official Cercle Brugge site *
Besnik Hasi
at the

FSHF The Albanian Football Association ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the Fir ...