Edin Dzeko #11

Profile

Long before he became the defining figure in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s football history, Dzeko was sold by Zeljeznicar to Czech side Teplice for a relatively small fee because few people inside Bosnian football truly believed a tall, physically underdeveloped striker from Sarajevo could possibly become one of Europe’s elite forwards. He had grown up playing football between buildings and shelters in Sarajevo during the war, later describing football from that period as “an escape from reality”. What followed became the greatest career Bosnian football has produced. Bundesliga titles with Wolfsburg, Premier League triumphs with Manchester City, captaincy at Roma, Champions League finals with Inter; Dzeko eventually became Bosnia's all-time leading appearance-maker and record goalscorer, and remains one of their key players at the age of 40. Inside Bosnia, though, his importance long ago moved beyond football itself. Younger players in Sergej Barbarez’s squad often speak about him less as a teammate and more as the reference point of an entire generation.

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