Edin Džeko

Early career

Džeko began his career at Željezničar, playing as a midfielder between 2003 and 2005, but with little success playing in that position. He was regarded as too tall, and with poor technical abilities. Džeko's coach at the time though, Jiří Plíšek, saw his potential and when Plíšek returned home, he advised Teplice to buy him. Željezničar accepted a bid of just €25,000 for Džeko, one of Željezničar's directors saying years later, "[we] thought we won the lottery". Džeko had a loan spell with Ústí nad Labem in 2005, during which he scored six goals in 15 games. Later that year, he moved back to Teplice, staying there until 2007. With 13 goals in 30 games, he was the second-top goalscorer of the Czech League in the 2006–07 season. Due to his performances, VfL Wolfsburg manager Felix Magath signed him for €4 million.

VfL Wolfsburg

After moving to Wolfsburg, Džeko scored five goals and recorded three assists in his first 11 games: he was named by Sportal as the best striker in the first half of the 2007–08 Bundesliga season. During his first season in Germany, Wolfsburg finished in fifth place, qualifying for a UEFA Cup spot for the following season. Džeko finished the 2007–08 season with eight goals and seven assists in 17 games started. After Wolfsburg acquired fellow Bosnian international Zvjezdan Misimović in July 2008, Džeko's performances improved significantly. During the first half of the 2008–09 Bundesliga season Džeko scored five goals and…

Džeko's first appearance for his home country came with the Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-19 football team. He was also part of the under-21 team who played in the play-offs for UEFA European Under-21 Championship hosted by the Netherlands in 2007. Bosnia's first challenges in this competition were Armenia under-21 and Norway under-21. They beat Armenia 3–2 and drew with Norway 1–1, qualifying for the playoff against the Czech Republic under-21. In the first leg, Bosnia lost 2–1; in the second, the game ended in a 1–1 draw. Džeko scored one goal in the tournament. He made his senior debut against Turkey on 2 June 2007. It was a memorable debut for the player, scoring a volleyed goal during the first half stoppage time. The goal levelled the score at 2–2 and Bosnia went on to win 3–2. On 28 March 2009, Bosnian sports commentator, Marjan Mijajlović, named Džeko "the Bosnian Diamond" during a game versus Belgium in Genk in which he scored a remarkable goal. He scored nine goals in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying and finished as the second highest goalscorer in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, tied with England's Wayne Rooney, behind Greek striker Theofanis Gekas' 10 goals. On 8 September 2012, in an 8–1 win over Liechtenstein, Džeko scored his first hat-trick for the national team and at the same time became the leading goal scorer in the history of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team with 24 goals. The record was previously held by Elvir Bolić who scored 22…

Džeko is renowned for his physical presence, strength and aerial ability. Considered by pundits and managers to be one of the best strikers in Europe at his peak, although he is mainly known for his goalscoring abilities, he is also a generous player, who has a penchant for providing a good number of assists in addition to scoring many goals. He is also known for shooting the ball with both feet equally well. Wherever he played, he posted impressive goalscoring records, playing mainly as a striker. His former Roma manager Luciano Spalletti once described him as the "perfect prototype" of a striker, noting that he is "strong, tall, fast for his height, combative, aggressive and has good technique." In his youth, he also played as a midfielder, and as a winger. During his time with Manchester City, he was considered a "super-sub", as he scored many important goals coming off the bench, a label which he himself rejected on several occasions. In retrospective, Džeko is now often described, by his peers and experts alike, as one of the most underrated players in recent history, whose career is too often overlooked in discussions and considerations by football writers and pundits.

Džeko was born in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, at that time part of SFR Yugoslavia, to Midhat and Belma Džeko. He stated that his family was always supportive throughout his career, especially his father, who took him to training sessions while he was at Željezničar. His father also played professionally in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Džeko is considered a local superstar in Sarajevo. Džeko was six years old when the Siege of Sarajevo began, lasting for nearly four years. His family home was destroyed, and 15 family members had to live in his grandparents' apartment that measured 35 square metres. He continued to play outside in the neighbourhood of Otoka; on a rare occasion that his mother forbade him to play outside, a missile killed several children on the local football pitch. Džeko is multilingual, speaking five languages fluently: Bosnian, Czech, German, English and Italian. He is a Muslim, and has dual citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Džeko stated that AC Milan has always been his favourite club, although he played two seasons for city rivals Inter Milan. Džeko said in 2011 that Andriy Shevchenko was his favourite player. Džeko is a first cousin of former fellow national team player and captain Emir Spahić. In November 2009, Džeko became Bosnia's first UNICEF ambassador. He has since visited schools and children in his home country affected by the Bosnian War. On 6 July 2012, Džeko was accepted to the University of Sarajevo to study sport and…