Wednesday's Champions League clash between Liverpool and LASK brings together two of Besian Idrizaj's former clubs. The Austrian striker joined the Reds after departing the Linz outfit as a teenager, but tragically passed away at just 22 years of age.
Early Career and Move to Liverpool
Idrizaj made his LASK first-team debut at 16 and featured in more than 30 league matches before moving to England. The transfer followed an impressive showing at the European Under-17 Championships, packed with future stars who would go on to achieve great things.
France won that tournament, boasting the talents of Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa. It also provided Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique the opportunity to shine for Spain, while Mark Noble featured in an England side defeated in the third-place play-off by Portugal.
Austria finished below England and Portugal in the group stage, yet Idrizaj still managed to turn heads. He remained in Linz throughout the 2004/05 season but wasn't about to let the chance to test himself at Anfield pass him by.
Hat-Trick and Loan Spells
"I have always been a Liverpool fan and it is a dream come true to play for them. If you get a chance to go to Liverpool on trial then you have to take it," the young striker declared upon agreeing to a trial with the Reds in 2005.
He originally joined the academy after impressing, placing himself tantalisingly close to sharing a football pitch with a squad of players he had witnessed claiming the Champions League trophy in Istanbul.
"You cannot ignore a trial with the reigning Champions League winners. I would even have swum across the channel just to take part," he added.
Throughout his first season with Liverpool's youth setup, Idrizaj played alongside the likes of Jay Spearing and Jack Hobbs, both of whom would subsequently represent the Reds' senior side. Idrizaj himself was brought into the first-team squad by Rafa Benitez during pre-season preparations in 2006 and 2007, netting a memorable hat-trick in a friendly fixture.
After an outstanding performance alongside Craig Bellamy in a victory over Wrexham in 2006, the promising striker departed on loan to Luton, scoring his first senior competitive goal in English football.
When he returned to Merseyside the following summer, he was handed a starting role in another match with Wrexham and within half an hour he had netted all three of Liverpool's goals.
"I still remember the day," his brother Qerim told The Athletic in 2020. "At the time, the internet was not like now and if we called Besian we had to have a prepaid card.
"He called home afterwards and he said, 'Did you check the Liverpool website?' I said, 'No. Why? What happened?' He said, 'Just check it.' He was really proud.
"And it was something to be proud of. So I typed in Liverpool FC and went onto the homepage, and the first story was Besian Idrizaj scores a 23-minute hat-trick. I said, 'Wow, man. This is amazing? How did you do that?'"
Instead of elevating Idrizaj straight into the Liverpool senior squad, Benitez allowed him to head out on loan again - firstly to Crystal Palace and later to Wacker Innsbruck in the player's homeland. Throughout that spell, however, the striker suffered a frightening episode when he collapsed during a match, with medical staff attributing it to a virus.
Tragic Death and Legacy
Idrizaj's contract at Anfield expired in 2008 and Wacker opted against securing him on a free transfer. Following his return to LASK to train and keep fit, he encountered another medical emergency and withdrew from football for several months.
The youngster did eventually return to action, initially in Germany and then in Swansea. He appeared four times during the 2009/10 Championship season but then, just weeks following the end of the season, he suffered a suspected heart attack while sleeping and tragically died. He was 22 years old.
Idrizaj left an enduring impact on his Swansea teammates during his short stint in south Wales.
"A lot of us still talk about him," goalkeeper Dorus de Vries said during the push for promotion under Brendan Rodgers the following season.
"He is still in our thoughts. He was a great colleague, a great team-mate, but he was also a great friend and you can't just forget that. We said as a group that this year would be for him and hopefully we are doing him proud this season."
After their play-off final victory at Wembley, Swansea's squad lifted the trophy while wearing T-shirts bearing Idrizaj's name and photograph, and the club later retired his squad number, 40.
"The journey was a great remembrance to him all the way through the season. I felt that he was really in the heart of the players and people," Rodgers explained.
When Liverpool and LASK met in the Europa League during 2023, Besian Idrizaj was undeniably in the thoughts of many, both at Anfield and the Raiffeisen Arena. As the two teams prepare to face each other again in Austria this week, minds will inevitably drift back to a gifted player whose life was tragically cut short.
