1. Early life and background
Besart Abdurahimi was born on 31 July 1990, in Zagreb, Croatia. His parents are Albanian and originated from Gradec, Vrapčište in North Macedonia. They had relocated to Zagreb approximately five years prior to his birth. Due to his birth in Croatia and his parents' heritage, Abdurahimi holds both Croatian and North Macedonian nationalities.
2. Club career
Abdurahimi's professional club career has spanned multiple countries, beginning in Croatia and extending to Israel, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Japan, North Macedonia, Albania, Romania, Slovenia, and Cyprus, before moving to Bosnia.
He began his career at NK Zagreb, where he played from 2008 to 2013 across the 1. HNL and 2. HNL, making a total of 121 appearances and scoring 24 goals.
In 2013, he moved to Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv on loan for the 2013-2014 season, where he played 20 matches and scored 4 goals in the Israeli Premier League. Following this, he joined Belgian club Lokeren from 2014 to 2016, making 38 appearances and scoring 7 goals in the Belgian First Division A.
In March 2016, Abdurahimi moved to Kazakh club FC Astana on loan, featuring in 4 matches without scoring. Later in 2016, he was loaned to Japanese club Cerezo Osaka in the J2 League. Despite being given the number 10 jersey, indicating high expectations, he made only 3 appearances in the J2 League without scoring. He subsequently played for Cerezo Osaka's U-23 team in the J3 League, where he made 2 appearances and scored 2 goals in a match against Fujieda MYFC. He departed Cerezo Osaka at the end of the season.
In 2017, Abdurahimi returned to North Macedonia to play for KF Shkëndija, where he made 32 appearances and scored 5 goals. The following year, 2018, saw him move to Albanian club FK Partizani Tirana, playing 13 matches and scoring 2 goals. He then had a brief stint in Romania with FC Hermannstadt from 2018 to 2019, making 4 appearances.
From 2019 to 2020, he played for Slovenian club NK Bravo, appearing in 18 matches and scoring 1 goal. In October 2020, Abdurahimi returned to his hometown of Zagreb, Croatia, joining second-tier club NK Rudeš. During the 2020-2021 season, he played 26 matches and scored 12 goals for Rudeš.
From 2021 to 2023, he played for Cypriot club Akritas Chlorakas, making 4 appearances. On 30 September 2022, he was loaned to Pafos FC, another Cypriot club, where he made 25 appearances and scored 8 goals during the 2022-2023 season. He currently plays for Bosnian club Zrinjski Mostar.
3. International career
Besart Abdurahimi has represented both Croatia at youth levels and North Macedonia at the senior level.
3.1. Youth career
Abdurahimi represented Croatia at various youth national team levels. In 2006, he played for the Croatia U-16 team, making 9 appearances and scoring 1 goal, and for the Croatia U-17 team, with 5 appearances and 1 goal. In 2008, he featured for the Croatia U-18 team (4 appearances) and the Croatia U-19 team (8 appearances, 5 goals). He also played for the Croatia U-20 team in 2009 (3 appearances, 2 goals) and the Croatia U-21 team from 2009 to 2012 (7 appearances).
3.2. Senior national team career
In February 2014, Albanian media reported on the possibility of Abdurahimi being called up to the Albanian national team due to his Albanian ethnicity. However, on 14 May 2014, he received and accepted a call-up from the Macedonian national team. He made his senior international debut on 26 May 2014, in a match against Cameroon. His first international goal was a winning goal scored in the 92nd minute during a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Luxembourg on 9 October 2014, contributing to a 3-2 victory for North Macedonia. He played for the North Macedonia national team from 2014 to 2015, accumulating 12 caps and scoring 1 goal.
4. Statistics
| Club | Years | League(s) | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NK Zagreb | 2008-2013 | 1. HNL, 2. HNL | 121 | 24 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | 2013-2014 | Premier League | 20 | 4 |
| Lokeren | 2014-2016 | Jupiler Pro League | 38 | 7 |
| FC Astana | 2016 | Premier League | 4 | 0 |
| Cerezo Osaka | 2016 | J2 League | 3 | 0 |
| Cerezo Osaka U-23 | 2016 | J3 League | 2 | 0 |
| KF Shkëndija | 2017 | 1. MFL | 32 | 5 |
| FK Partizani Tirana | 2018 | Kategoria Superiore | 13 | 2 |
| FC Hermannstadt | 2018-2019 | Liga I | 4 | 0 |
| NK Bravo | 2019-2020 | PrvaLiga | 18 | 1 |
| NK Rudeš | 2020-2021 | 2. HNL | 26 | 12 |
| Akritas Chlorakas | 2021-2023 | Cypriot First Division | 4 | 0 |
| Pafos FC | 2022-2023 | Cypriot First Division | 25 | 8 |
| Career total | 310 | 63 | ||
| National Team | Year(s) | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia Youth | |||
| U-16 | 2006 | 9 | 1 |
| U-17 | 2006 | 5 | 1 |
| U-18 | 2008 | 4 | 0 |
| U-19 | 2008 | 8 | 5 |
| U-20 | 2009 | 3 | 2 |
| U-21 | 2009-2012 | 7 | 0 |
| North Macedonia Senior | |||
| 2014 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | |
| Career total | 48 | 10 | |