“I did not think I would be playing at 40,” admits Edin Dzeko. But here he is. Not just playing but getting ready to captain Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 World Cup, coming into the tournament fresh off a title win with Schalke in Germany.
If you had asked Edin Dzeko ten years ago if he would still be playing in 2026 at the age of 40, he would have called it impossible.”I am listening to my body and doing a lot of work before and after training because I am obviously not the youngest anymore and I need to care about my legs, my body and that’s what I’m doing,” Dzeko says.
But after helping Schalke gain promotion back to the Bundesliga, Bosnia captain leads his national team into their second World Cup appearance – after declaring independence from Yugoslavia in 1992 – and their first since Brazil in 2014.
Their qualification was a rollercoaster, defeating Wales and Italy on penalties along the way, with Dzeko himself scoring an 86th minute equalizer against Wales and assisting the equalizer against Italy a few days later to secure their ticket to North America.
Their victory sent thousands and thousands of Bosnians into party mode in the streets of Sarajevo, the country’s capital.Edin Dzeko’s story is one of endurance, persistence and immense strength.
Dzeko was just a child when the Bosnian War started in 1992, claiming tens of thousands of Bosnian lives.His family remained in Sarajevo for four years before moving to live with his grandparents after their house was destroyed. Dzeko frequently played on a local football pitch, but one day his mother forced him to stay at home; that day, a missile hit the field, killing several children.
After the war, Dzeko began his football journey with local club Zeljeznicar, before joining Teplice in the Czech Republic and Usti had Labem later on. He then signed for VfL Wolfsburg in 2007 and Manchester City in January 2011.Dzeko has been a full Bosnia international since June 2007 – scoring on his debut against Turkey – rejecting offers of citizenship from both Czechia and Germany.
He has gone on to become the country’s most capped player with 149 appearances and all time highest goalscorer with 73 goals, to go along with the 387 in his club career along spells in his native Bosnia, Czechia, Germany, England Italy and Turkey.
Up until 2026, the 2014 World Cup has been his only chance to represent his country at a major tournament, missing out on the World Cups in 2010, 2018 and 2022, as well as never qualifying for a European Championship.
Now 40, the Bosnian Diamond, as he’s referred to in his homeland, Dzeko, arm wrapped in a sling, could not help but show his emotions after the win against Italy in Zenica to secure the country’s spot. He goes into the tournament as the third oldest outfield player only behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, a testament to his longevity, ambition and discipline over a 20 year career.
A national hero to his people and a symbol of Bosnian defiance, this World will be the last time he leads his nation into a major tournament, with the possibility of retirement around the corner after stating that he would “listen to his body in the summer.”
