Besnik Hasi

Born in Djakovica, SFR Yugoslavia, he began playing with his hometown team Vëllaznimi at an early age before joining Liria playing back then in the Yugoslav Second League where he began playing as a senior. He moved to NK Zagreb during the 1990–91 Yugoslav Second League. He then played one game with Prishtina in the 1991–92 Yugoslav Second League.^[1] In 1993–94, he played with NK Samobor in Croatia's second division before moving to Belgium.

Hasi moved to Genk in mid-1994, then to 1860 Munich where he played only seven times during the 1997–98 season. He returned to 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 Albania during the Kosovo War.^[2]

Hasi moved to Anderlecht in May 2000 and, despite only playing 16 matches in his first season due to injury problems, helped the club retain their league title. He played 30 games the following year, including five in the UEFA Champions League 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 in his left knee 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 during the 2005–06 season. On 11 June 2007, he signed a two-year contract with Cercle Brugge.

On 15 November 2000, Hasi made his debut with Albania in a friendly match against Malta after coming on as a substitute at half-time in place of Devi Muka,^[3] and he was one of the first Kosovo Albanian to play for Albania.^[4] Hasi received the Albanian citizenship on 21 February 2001.^[5]

Six months after retiring from international football with Albania, on 15 June 2007, Hasi made his debut with Kosovo in a friendly match against Saudi Arabia after being named in the starting line-up and acting as captain of the team.^[6][7][8]

Hasi retired at the end of the 2007–08 season and subsequently joined Anderlecht as an assistant manager. He signed a two-year contract with the Belgian club in 2008 and remained in his role for six years, assisting multiple head coaches during his tenure. During this period, he played a crucial role in the development of young players and the tactical setup of the team.

On 10 March 2014, Hasi was promoted to head coach following the dismissal of John van den Brom, after Anderlecht struggled in the league, winning only three of their eight post-Christmas matches and facing the risk of missing out on the title.^[9][10] Under Hasi’s leadership, the club managed a strong turnaround, winning eight of their remaining eleven games, including a crucial final stretch of five consecutive victories. This remarkable run secured Anderlecht’s third consecutive Belgian Championship and reaffirmed their dominance in domestic football.

Following two and a half seasons as head coach with the club, Hasi was sacked on 26 May 2016 after losing the league title to rivals Club Brugge.^[11][12]

On 4 June 2016, Hasi was appointed new manager of Legia Warsaw.^[13] Due to poor results, notably the disastrous 6–0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, Hasi was relieved of his duties on 18 September 2016.^[14][15]

On 9 June 2017, Hasi was unveiled as the new manager of the Greek team Olympiacos, penning a two-year contract worth €600k per annum.^[16] The board chose him over other candidates based on his experience in UEFA Champions League 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 in the competition's playoffs.^[17] Criticized for his substandard defensive coaching and man management, Hasi was relieved of his duties on 25 September 2017,^[18] due to a string of negative results including a 2–3 Champions League group stage home defeat against Sporting CP, and successive league fixtures without a win, culminating to a 3–2 away loss to arch-rivals AEK despite being 0–2 up after just over 60 minutes of play.^[19]

On July 26, 2018, Hasi was appointed as the manager of Al-Raed in the Saudi Pro League.^[20] During his tenure, he successfully led the team to one of their highest-ever finishes in the league. In the 2018–19 season, Hasi guided Al-Raed to an 8th-place finish, a significant improvement for the club. The following season, 2019–20, the team continued to progress under his management, securing a 6th-place finish, which marked one of the best seasons in the club’s history. However, in the 2020–21 season, Al-Raed finished in 10th place, and on June 30, 2021, Hasi officially left the club after spending nearly three years in charge.

On 6 June 2021 Hasi was appointed as the head coach of Al-Ahli.^[21] His tenure with Al-Ahli, however, proved to be more challenging. The team struggled to maintain consistency in the league, and after 247 days in charge, On 5 March 2022, Hasi was sacked on 4 March 2022 after a 1–0 defeat to Al-Ettifaq.^[22]

Despite facing challenges at Al-Ahli, Hasi’s managerial career in Saudi Arabia demonstrated his ability to elevate mid-table teams like Al-Raed into competitive league positions. His tactical approach and leadership played a key role in improving Al-Raed’s performances, while his time at Al-Ahli reflected the pressures and high expectations associated with managing one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent clubs.

On March 20, 2025, Anderlecht announced the appointment of Hasi as the new head coach, signing a contract until the end of the season with an option for an indefinite extension. This marks Hasi’s return to the club where he previously achieved significant success both as a player and a coach.^[23][24] He was sacked on 2 February, 2026, after a string of poor results.^[25]

As of 1 February 2026