Zenica is preparing to give Edin Dzeko a final evening in Bosnia and Herzegovina colours when Sweden arrive on Friday for the third round of the Nations League. The 40-year-old forward will bring an international career of rare scale to a close in front of the supporters who turned him into a national figure.
The news from the club
Dzeko leaves the Bosnia and Herzegovina side after 151 appearances and 73 goals, records which make him both one of the country’s most capped players and its leading scorer. His first match came against Turkey in 2007, when he also found the net, beginning a relationship with the national shirt that has lasted almost two decades.
His years with the team included Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first qualification for a World Cup in 2014, with Dzeko the focal point of the side. He also captained the country during its most recent World Cup qualification campaign, which ended with Italy being beaten in the play-off.
The farewell has already spread beyond the stadium. A huge Dzeko shirt was displayed from a building in Sarajevo on the eve of the match, while Zenica is expected to mark the occasion with a full-scale send-off for its most celebrated footballer.
A last night against Sweden
In a message to supporters, Dzeko said no achievement in his career had matched the feeling of representing his country. He described wearing the Bosnia and Herzegovina shirt as a childhood ambition that remained special across every one of his 151 appearances.
He said there would be time later to thank those who had accompanied him through the journey, but asked supporters to join him against Sweden for one final shared occasion. Dzeko wants his last international appearance to be spent alongside the people who have experienced the defining moments of his Bosnia and Herzegovina career with him, wearing a shirt he says he has loved since childhood and will continue to love for the rest of his life.
