The Liverpool hat-trick hero who died at 22 and had his shirt retired by LASK

Besian Idrizaj scored a hat-trick for Liverpool inside half an hour during a pre-season friendly against Wrexham in the summer of 2007 — a moment of pure joy that would become one of the defining memories of a life cut tragically short. The Austrian striker died aged just 22, and his number was subsequently retired by LASK, the Linz club where his career began.

Wednesday’s Champions League fixture between Liverpool and LASK brings together the two clubs that shaped Idrizaj’s brief but vivid footballing story.

Idrizaj made his first-team debut for LASK at 16 and played more than 30 league games before his performances at the European Under-17 Championships attracted attention from across the continent. That tournament featured a France side containing Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa, a Spain squad with Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique, and an England team that included Mark Noble. Austria did not progress from the group stage, but Idrizaj caught the eye.

He remained in Linz for the 2004/05 season before accepting a trial at Anfield in 2005. “I have always been a Liverpool fan and it is a dream come true to play for them,” he said at the time. “If you get a chance to go to Liverpool on trial then you have to take it.” He added, with characteristic enthusiasm: “You cannot ignore a trial with the reigning Champions League winners. I would even have swum across the channel just to take part.”

Idrizaj impressed and joined Liverpool’s academy, where his team-mates included Jay Spearing and Jack Hobbs. Manager Rafa Benitez integrated him into the senior squad during pre-seasons in 2006 and 2007. After a promising display alongside Craig Bellamy in a win over Wrexham in 2006, he went on loan to Luton Town, where he scored his first competitive goal in English football.

The following summer brought his most memorable moment in a Liverpool shirt. Given a starting place in another pre-season meeting with Wrexham, he had scored all three of his side’s goals before the half-hour mark.

“I still remember the day,” his brother Qerim told The Athletic in 2020. “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. So I typed in Liverpool FC and went onto the homepage, and the first story was Besian Idrizaj.”

The hat-trick remains a cherished footnote in Liverpool’s pre-season history, and a reminder of a talent whose story ended far too soon.