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TORONTO – Only two of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 26 players suited up for the country during its inaugural World Cup appearance in 2014.
One of them, captain and striker Edin Džeko, is the national team’s all-time goal scorer (73) and most-capped (140) player. But leading this group of Bosnians – largely all new to the national team over the past two years – to the 2026 World Cup might be his most impressive feat on the pitch.
Džeko, who hurt his collarbone in the final minute of extra time during decisive qualifier against Italy two months ago, is expected to be a full-go come Bosnia and Herzegovina’s match June 12 against Canada. Bosnia head coach Sergej Barbarez said in a June 11 news conference that, despite being asked multiple times about his captain and most famous player, that he did not want to highlight a specific individual.
What else can one say about Džeko? But people such as Džeko have earned – with their character and mentality, Barbarez said – their praises being sung.
“I have been his coach and I engage in communication with him on a daily basis, not only when it comes to our job, but also in our personal lives,” Barbarez said through an interpreter. “He doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody because he’s done it all too many times and I’m extremely happy to have him among our ranks.”
Džeko’s club playing career took him from the Czech Republic to Germany to powerhouses such as Manchester City (2011-16), Roma (2016-2021) and Inter Milan (2021-23). But he still remembers himself as a boy who survived the Siege of Sarajevo as a boy, a trauma his younger teammates can only comprehend through the stories of their own families.
In an essay, published June 11 on The Players Tribune, addressed to the youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Džeko wrote that he doesn’t like to talk about his memories of the siege because they are painful. He did, however, share how he played monopoly with family members while crammed into grandparents’ apartment because going outside was too risky.
He was 10 when the violence ended.
“In the end, we survived,” Džeko wrote. “Looking back, I’m amazed at how strong we were. We were just little kids. But there was no point to the war. All those innocent people killed, and for what? For money. Power. Ego. For nothing. When there is war on the news today, I feel sick. I don’t want to see it anywhere. For some reason, adults never learn.”
Defender Sead Kolašinac is Džeko’s lone teammate from 12 years ago who is by his side again. To many of his teammates, Džeko morphed from childhood hero to comrade.
Now he is most definitely the adult in whichever room he walks into, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina’s locker room. Sometimes, Džeko wrote, he feels every bit of his age.
“Getting here was never easy. It’s still not when you’re 40, and your back is screaming the next morning, and you have to reach for the painkillers again,” he wrote. “But every time my body wants to quit, I remember all the parties that I’ve missed, all the months I’ve spent away from my family, all the summer holidays I’ve dedicated to tournaments while my friends were off to sip cocktails on a beach. Mentally, it’s very hard. The criticism still hurts. But when I walk out on the pitch, I still feel like a kid, like one of you, with butterflies in my stomach and stars in my eyes.”
At the age of 43, Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon is the oldest player in this World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, is the second-oldest player. Džeko, fellow Balkan Peninsula star Luka Modric of Croatia and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer are all 40.
Džeko closed his missive with a message for the children.
“Whether you live in Sarajevo, or Rome, or St. Louis. … Whether you are Muslim or Jewish or Catholic or Orthodox. ... Never forget where you came from. You are Bosnian. The world is at your feet. Love you all.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How old is Edin Dzeko? Bosnia legend makes World Cup return vs. Canada
Continue reading...
One of them, captain and striker Edin Džeko, is the national team’s all-time goal scorer (73) and most-capped (140) player. But leading this group of Bosnians – largely all new to the national team over the past two years – to the 2026 World Cup might be his most impressive feat on the pitch.
Džeko, who hurt his collarbone in the final minute of extra time during decisive qualifier against Italy two months ago, is expected to be a full-go come Bosnia and Herzegovina’s match June 12 against Canada. Bosnia head coach Sergej Barbarez said in a June 11 news conference that, despite being asked multiple times about his captain and most famous player, that he did not want to highlight a specific individual.
What else can one say about Džeko? But people such as Džeko have earned – with their character and mentality, Barbarez said – their praises being sung.
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“I have been his coach and I engage in communication with him on a daily basis, not only when it comes to our job, but also in our personal lives,” Barbarez said through an interpreter. “He doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody because he’s done it all too many times and I’m extremely happy to have him among our ranks.”
Džeko’s club playing career took him from the Czech Republic to Germany to powerhouses such as Manchester City (2011-16), Roma (2016-2021) and Inter Milan (2021-23). But he still remembers himself as a boy who survived the Siege of Sarajevo as a boy, a trauma his younger teammates can only comprehend through the stories of their own families.
In an essay, published June 11 on The Players Tribune, addressed to the youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Džeko wrote that he doesn’t like to talk about his memories of the siege because they are painful. He did, however, share how he played monopoly with family members while crammed into grandparents’ apartment because going outside was too risky.
He was 10 when the violence ended.
“In the end, we survived,” Džeko wrote. “Looking back, I’m amazed at how strong we were. We were just little kids. But there was no point to the war. All those innocent people killed, and for what? For money. Power. Ego. For nothing. When there is war on the news today, I feel sick. I don’t want to see it anywhere. For some reason, adults never learn.”
Defender Sead Kolašinac is Džeko’s lone teammate from 12 years ago who is by his side again. To many of his teammates, Džeko morphed from childhood hero to comrade.
Now he is most definitely the adult in whichever room he walks into, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina’s locker room. Sometimes, Džeko wrote, he feels every bit of his age.
“Getting here was never easy. It’s still not when you’re 40, and your back is screaming the next morning, and you have to reach for the painkillers again,” he wrote. “But every time my body wants to quit, I remember all the parties that I’ve missed, all the months I’ve spent away from my family, all the summer holidays I’ve dedicated to tournaments while my friends were off to sip cocktails on a beach. Mentally, it’s very hard. The criticism still hurts. But when I walk out on the pitch, I still feel like a kid, like one of you, with butterflies in my stomach and stars in my eyes.”
At the age of 43, Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon is the oldest player in this World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, is the second-oldest player. Džeko, fellow Balkan Peninsula star Luka Modric of Croatia and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer are all 40.
Džeko closed his missive with a message for the children.
“Whether you live in Sarajevo, or Rome, or St. Louis. … Whether you are Muslim or Jewish or Catholic or Orthodox. ... Never forget where you came from. You are Bosnian. The world is at your feet. Love you all.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How old is Edin Dzeko? Bosnia legend makes World Cup return vs. Canada
Continue reading...
