Edin Džeko (; born 17 March 1986) is a Bosnian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a striker for club

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...

and

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Džeko was named Bosnian Footballer of the Year for three years in a row. He has been nicknamed "Bosnian Diamond" ( bs, Bosanski dijamant) or simply "Diamond" (''Dijamant'') by football fans and journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prior to joining Inter Milan, he played for

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

and

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

, but he made a name for himself while playing for German club

VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...

, with whom he won the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

in the 2008–09 season. He was second-highest goalscorer with 26 goals. In the 2009–10 season, Džeko was the top scorer with 22 goals. He also registered ten assists in both seasons. During the 2011–12 Premier League season, Džeko scored four goals in one game for Manchester City against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...

. On the final day of that season, he scored an equaliser against

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

in the 92nd minute, before

Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest play ...

won it for City with seconds to go, ensuring the team won a league title for the first time in 44 years. He later stated that the goal was one of the most important of his career. On 3 March 2018, Džeko scored his 50th league goal for Roma, thus becoming the first player ever to score 50 goals in three of Europe's top five major leagues. A former youth international for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Džeko made his senior international debut in 2007, earning over 120

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

and scoring 64 goals since. Džeko became the highest Bosnia and Herzegovina goalscorer of all time on 7 September 2012 in a game against

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...

where he scored a hat-trick to surpass

Zvjezdan Misimović Zvjezdan Misimović (, ; born 5 June 1982) is a Bosnian former professional footballer who most notably played for Bayern Munich, VfL Wolfsburg, Galatasaray, Dynamo Moscow, and Beijing Renhe as an attacking midfielder. Misimović is the fourth m ...

and

Elvir Bolić Elvir Bolić (; born 10 October 1971) is a Bosnian former footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his 18-year professional career in Turkey, appearing for seven clubs including Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. He also played three ye ...

. On 11 September 2018, in a game against

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, he played his 95th game for Bosnia and Herzegovina and surpassed Emir Spahić to become the country's most-capped player. His ten goals in the qualifying campaign helped his national team qualify for its first international tournament, the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

Club career

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 widely 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 Teplice () (until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; german: Teplitz-Schönau or ''Teplitz'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest Czech spa town, after Karlovy Vary. The his ...

to buy him. Željezničar accepted a bid of just €25,000 for Džeko, one of Željezničar's directors saying years later, " ethought we won the lottery". Džeko had a

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...

spell with

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (, , ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of its eponymous region and district. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway ju ...

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,

manager

Felix Magath Wolfgang Felix Magath (; born 26 July 1953) is a German football manager and former player. The most notable spell of his playing career was with Hamburger SV, with whom he won three Bundesliga titles, the 1977 European Cup Winners' Cup Final a ...

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

season. During his first season in Germany, Wolfsburg finished in fifth place, qualifying for a

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

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

in July 2008, Džeko's performances improved significantly. During the first half of the 2008–09 Bundesliga season Džeko scored five goals and added seven assists, but after the winter break he added 21 goals and three more assists. This upturn was especially visible during their ten-game winning streak from 7 February to 26 April, in which he scored 11 goals and added an assist. In May 2009 Džeko scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

against

Hoffenheim Hoffenheim () is a village in Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It belongs to the municipality of Sinsheim and, as of 2020, it has a population of 3,191. History The village, settled since prehistoric times, and first mentioned ...

, and did so again two weeks later against

Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...

, contributing 26 goals and 10 assists overall in 32 league matches. His goal tally was second only to teammate

Grafite Edinaldo Batista Libânio (born 2 April 1979), commonly known as Grafite (pronounced ), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He currently works as a pundit for TV Globo and SporTV. In 2005, Grafite won the C ...

, with whom he formed the most successful strike duo in Bundesliga history; Misimović, the team's main assist and key pass provider, himself broke a longstanding Bundesliga record for assists by setting up 20 goals, the three players becoming known as ''"the magic triangle"''. Wolfsburg ended the season as Bundesliga champions for the first time in the club's history; they finished two points clear of

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

, the key match being the meeting between them on the 26th matchday which finished 5–1, Džeko and Grafite scoring two goals each in an impressive performance (the latter added his second and the team's fifth with a memorable dribble and

backheel Association football (more commonly known as football) was first codified in 1863 in England, although games that involved the kicking of a ball were evident considerably earlier.

). At that point Wolfsburg, in third at the start of the day, gained the lead in the table for the first time and retained the position for the rest of the season to take the title. In the

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...

, Džeko scored six goals in two matches, and in the

, four goals and two assists in eight matches. These performances resulted in him being given the Bundesliga ''Players' Footballer of the Year'' award. Despite attracting interest from

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

Džeko decided to stay, renewing his contract until June 2013. He scored his first

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

goal on 30 September 2009 against

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

in a 2–1 defeat at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...

. He was one of 30 players nominated for the

2009 Ballon d'Or The 2009 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in the world as judged by an international panel of sports journalists, was awarded to Lionel Messi of Barcelona on 1 December 2009. Messi won the award by a then record margin, 240 points ah ...

. He was the Bundesliga top scorer in the 2009–10 season with 22 goals. On 28 August 2010, Džeko became the top league scorer in Wolfsburg's history with 59 goals in 96 appearances, surpassing

Diego Klimowicz Diego Fernando Klimowicz (born 6 July 1974) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a centre-forward. He started and finished his 18-year professional career with Instituto, but competed mostly in Spain and Germany, notably amassing Bun ...

who scored 57 in 149 games. At the winter break stage of the

2010–11 Bundesliga The 2010–11 Bundesliga was the 48th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. It began on 20 August 2010 and concluded on 14 May 2011. The winter break was in effect between weekends around 18 December 2010 and 15 January 20 ...

season, Džeko had scored 10 goals in 17 matches.

Manchester City

After heavy speculation,

Roberto Mancini Roberto Mancini (; born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the Italy national team. As a player, Mancini operated as a deep-lying forward, and was best known for his time at Samp ...

, manager of

, confirmed on 3 January 2011 that a fee of £27 million (€32 million) had been agreed with Wolfsburg for Džeko, which was City's second highest transfer figure, after

Robinho Robson de Souza ( or , born 25 January 1984), known as Robinho (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. In 1999, at 15 years of age, Robinho was picked by Brazil legend Pelé as his heir apparent and, in 2002, ...

's £32.5 million (€42.5 million) move from

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

in 2008. The transfer fee was the sixth highest in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

history at the time. Also, the sum broke the Bundesliga record departure transfer fee, Bosnian record transfer fee, as well as that of any player from

former Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...

at the time. The previous ex-Yugoslav record stood for more than a decade – the transfer fee paid by Real Madrid to Fenerbahçe for

Elvir Baljić Elvir Baljić (born 8 July 1974) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. As a player, Baljić's biggest success was winning the UEFA Champions League with Spanish giant Real Madrid in the 1999–2000 season. Apart from ...

in 1999 (€26 million). In August 2014 he signed a new four-year deal with the club, taking his contract up to 2018.

2010–11 season

Following his medical examination in London, he travelled to Manchester on 5 January, and on 7 January, Džeko was confirmed as a Manchester City player, joining the club on a four-and-a-half-year deal. He made his debut for the club in a 4–3 win over

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

on 15 January in which he set up

Yaya Touré Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is an academy coach for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. Touré aspired to be a striker during his yout ...

for the third goal of the match. Džeko marked his

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

debut on 30 January 2011 with the equalising goal in Manchester City's fourth round match against

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...

which ended in a 1–1 draw. In the replay on 20 February, Džeko again scored, helping Manchester City progress to the next round with a 5–0. Džeko scored twice against

Aris Thessaloniki Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki
...

within four and a half minutes at the

Etihad Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...

in the second leg of the last 32 of the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

on 24 February 2011. On 25 April 2011, Džeko scored his first Premier League goal with a right footed finish against

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...

Ewood Park Ewood Park () is a football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the Football League and Premier League, who have played there since 1890. It is an all seater multi-sports facili ...

. This was the only goal of the game in a 1–0 win for Manchester City His last goal was against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

on the final day of the season and guaranteed City third place in the

over

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

and automatic qualification into the group stage of the

2011–12 UEFA Champions League The 2011–12 UEFA Champions League was the 57th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 20th season in its current Champions League format. As part of a trial that started in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa Lea ...

. On 14 May 2011, Džeko was an unused substitute in Manchester City's 1–0 win over

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...

the

2011 FA Cup Final The 2011 FA Cup Final was the 130th FA Cup Final, final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest domestic Association football, football cup competition. The final took place on 14 May 2011 at Wembley Stadium in London in front of 88,643 spectators an ...

, winning his first trophy with the club.

2011–12 season

Džeko started his second season with City by scoring the team's second goal in a 2–3 defeat against

in the

FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...

. In his third

game of this season, Džeko scored four goals against

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...

. In this game, Džeko broke another record by becoming the first Manchester City player to score four goals in one Premier League match. His tally of six league goals in three games won him the

Premier League Player of the Month The Premier League Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League player each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to 10 ...

award for August. Further on, he grabbed some important goals such as a header against

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

that sealed a 1–0 win for City and extended their lead over title rivals Manchester United to three points, and a goal that put Manchester City 2–0 up against

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

in the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

, as they won 6–1 on aggregate. He also scored a headed goal against Blackburn Rovers, which put Manchester City 3–0 up, and sealed the game, this subsequently maintained City's narrow two-point margin over Manchester United. Bosnia and Herzegovina national manager

Safet Sušić Safet "Pape" Sušić (; born 13 April 1955) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of TFF First League club Akhisarspor. He was a gifted midfielder known for his dribbling skills and techn ...

urged Džeko to leave City at the end of the season because of lack of first-team football towards the end of the season, with the likes of

Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...

and

interested. On the final day of the season, Džeko scored a 92nd-minute equaliser before

scored in the 94th minute to beat

3–2 and secure the Premier League title, the club's first in 44 years. Following his goal that helped win the championship, his 19th goal and 40th appearance in all competitions, Džeko's agent denied reports that the striker would leave City saying it was all media speculation.

2012–13 season

Džeko began the new 2012–13 season with an equalising goal against

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in a 3–2 win. He scored another goal against Queens Park Rangers taking his tally to two goals in the opening three games. He then scored the first goal of City's Champions League campaign against

at the Santiago Bernabéu. On 29 September, he scored an 87th-minute winner away at

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

, one minute after appearing as a substitute. On 20 October, he came off the bench in the 79th minute to score a minute later. He scored a second goal two minutes into stoppage time to seal a comeback win for 10-man City against

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...

. On 11 November, Džeko scored another late winning goal as a substitute with a left-footed volley in the 88th minute against Tottenham Hotspur. On 29 December 2012, he scored two goals against

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

in a 4–3 victory. He finished the season with 14 goals in the

and 15 overall.

2013–14 season

On the opening day of the

2013–14 Premier League The 2013–14 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd season of the Premier League, the top-flight English professional league for men's football clubs, and the 115th season of top-flight Eng ...

season, Džeko was selected to start by a new manager

Manuel Pellegrini Manuel Lúis Pellegrini Ripamonti (; ; born 16 September 1953) is a Chilean professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Real Betis. As a coach, he has managed teams in Spain, England, Argentina, Chile, China and Ecuador. ...

against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

at the City of Manchester Stadium. He scored his first goal in a 3–2 defeat at Cardiff City. Džeko scored his 50th goal in England with an only goal of the game against

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

on 28 December 2013. On 25 March 2014, Džeko scored twice in a 3–0

Manchester Derby The Manchester derby refers to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the City of Manchester Stadium in Bradford, east Manchester, while United play at Old Trafford in the borough o ...

win against Manchester United. His first goal came after just 43 seconds, making it the fastest away goal scored at

in Premier League history. On 27 April, he scored City's first goal of a 2–0 defeat of Crystal Palace at

Selhurst Park Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international footba ...

, closing the gap on league leaders Liverpool to three points with a game in hand. He scored a brace in City's match at Everton on 3 May, helping City to a 3–2 win and lift the club to the top of the table with two matches left. His second goal of the game was Man City 150th goal in all competitions. In City's penultimate game of the season against

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

, Džeko scored two second-half goals as City won 4–0, ensuring that the club would be crowned champions with a draw against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

at home on the final day, which City eventually won.

2014–15 season

On 17 August 2014, Džeko assisted

David Silva David Josué Jiménez Silva (born 8 January 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Real Sociedad. Silva plays mainly as a central or an attacking midfielder but can also play as a winger or second striker. He is ...

for Manchester City's first goal of the 2014–15 season in a 2–0 defeat of Newcastle United. On 20 August, Džeko signed a new four-year contract with the club, tying him to Manchester City until 2018. On 24 September, Džeko scored his first two goals of the season as Manchester City beat

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

7–0 in the third round of the

Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

. On 27 September, he again scored twice in Manchester City's 4–2 win away to Hull City to record his first goals of the

season. On 21 February 2015, Džeko ended a run of 15 matches without a goal by scoring Manchester City's third goal in a 5–0 home victory against Newcastle United.

Roma

After months of speculation during the 2015 summer transfer market, Džeko officially signed for

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

outfit

on 12 August 2015, on a €4 million loan with an €11 million option to buy that would become mandatory after certain performance related goals were met. These clauses were activated on 1 October 2015, making Džeko a permanent member of Roma.

2015–16 season

He made his

debut ten days after his move from Manchester City, playing the entirety of a 1–1 draw at

Hellas Verona Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as Hellas Verona or simply Verona, is a professional Italian football club based in Verona, Italy, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won the Serie A Championship in 1984–85. His ...

, and in his second appearance on 30 August, he scored the winning goal in the 79th minute to defeat reigning champions

2–1 at the

Stadio Olimpico The Stadio Olimpico (English: ''Olympic Stadium'') is the largest sports facility in Rome, Italy, seating over 70,000 spectators. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex, north of the city. The structure is owned by the Italian Na ...

. On 21 February 2016, he scored his first

brace Brace(s) or bracing may refer to: Medical * Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement ** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine *** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal cur ...

for Roma, scoring the first and last goals in a 5–0 win over

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

2016–17 season

After a relatively disappointing first season with the club, in which Džeko scored only 8 Serie A and 10 goals in all competitions for Roma, he started the 2016–17 season with 12 goals in 15 games, 17 goals in 20 overall, thus equaling the start of the season that

Gabriel Batistuta Gabriel Omar Batistuta (; born 1 February 1969) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer. During his playing career, Batistuta was nicknamed Batigol () as well as El Ángel Gabriel (; Spanish for ''Archangel Gabriel, ...

had, in which he won the league title with Roma. On 24 November 2016, he scored a hat-trick in the Europa League, in a 4–1 win over

Viktoria Plzeň Viktoria usually refers to Viktoria, a name which is the same as Victoria (name), but may also refer to: Places * FK Viktoria Stadion, stadium of Viktoria Žižkov * Viktoria-Luise-Platz, building in Berlin * Viktoriastadt, now known as Victoria ...

. On 16 February 2017, he also scored a hat-trick in the first leg of a Europa League match against

Villarreal Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...

, which Roma won 4–0. On 12 March 2017, he became the fourth Roma player to reach 30 goals in all competitions in a season. On 1 April 2017, Džeko became the first Roma player ever to reach 33 goals in a season in all competitions, surpassing the previous record of 32 goals jointly held by

Rodolfo Volk Rodolfo Volk (Sometimes italianized in ''Rodolfo Folchi'') (born 14 January 1906 in Fiume – died 2 October 1983 in Nemi) was an Italian footballer who played as a forward. Volk is regarded as one of the most prolific goalscorers in history of ...

and

Francesco Totti Francesco Totti (; born 27 September 1976) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who played solely for A.S. Roma, Roma and the Italy national football team, Italy national team. He is often referred to as ''Er Bim ...

. He ended the season with a tally of 39 goals in all competitions of which his 29 goals in Serie A made him the

Capocannoniere The ''Capocannoniere'' award (; literally "head gunner"), known as Paolo Rossi Award Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...

on 26 August 2017, which Roma lost 1–3. In the next two games, he scored two braces, against

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

and

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

. He continued his goalscoring form by opening the score against

on 1 October, in a 2–0 win away at

San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...

. On 9 October, Džeko was one of 30 players to be nominated for the

Ballon D'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine ''France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (fo ...

2017 prize by French newspaper ''

France Football ''France Football'' is a French weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It is considered to be one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of its photographic reports, in-depth and exclusiv ...

''. Džeko then scored a brace against

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...

on 19 October. The game ended in a 3–3 draw. His next big game of the season came against

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, in which he scored a brace and helped his team to a 4–2 victory. Džeko also helped Roma reach UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by scoring the winning goal against

Shakhtar Donetsk Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Футбольний клуб «Шахтар» Донецьк , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...

. Džeko was instrumental in Roma's qualification to UEFA Champions League semi-finals, their first in over 30 years. He scored in both quarter-final legs against

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, which Roma won on away goals. In the semi-finals, Džeko scored in both legs, but it wasn't enough, as Roma were eventually eliminated by

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

6–7 on aggregate. Džeko ended the season with 24 goals, 16 of which he scored in Serie A, making him club's best goalscorer in the league and joint sixth overall. He also added 8 goals in Champions League, which meant he ended as competition's fifth best goalscorer.

2018–19 season

Džeko started his fourth season with Roma by scoring a winning goal away at

Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

on 19 August. Džeko scored his first UEFA Champions League hat-trick on 2 October when he again put three past

, in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League group stage. He became the first Bosnian to score a hat-trick in the top European club competition. On 13 April 2019, Džeko scored his 8th goal in the league against

Udinese Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a fo ...

in the 68th minute, giving Roma a win. He scored his 9th league goal for Roma on 12 May 2019, in a 2–0 home win against league champions

in the 90+3rd minute.

2019–20 season

During pre-season of the 2019–20 season, Džeko extended his contract with Roma until June 2022 on 16 August 2019. He scored his first official goal for the club in the new season on 25 August 2019, in a 3–3 home league draw against

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

. On 22 September 2019, Džeko scored a 93rd minute goal in Roma's 1–2 away league win over

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

. In a game against

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...

on 6 October 2019, Džeko fractured his zygomatic bone (cheekbone), needing to go get

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

and afterwards wear a protective mask in some of his first games after the recovery. He scored his 5th goal in the season for Roma in the club's 2–1 home league win against

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

on 27 October 2019. With a goal in a

game against Wolfsberg on 12 December 2019, which Roma drew 2–2, Džeko helped his team qualify for the last 16 of the

2019–20 UEFA Europa League The 2019–20 UEFA Europa League was the 49th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 11th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. Sevilla defeated Inter Milan in the fina ...

season. He made his 200th appearance for the club in Roma's 3–1 home league win against S.P.A.L. on 15 December 2019.

Inter Milan

On 14 August 2021, Džeko joined

club

, but without being officially introduced he played a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against Ukrainian club

Dynamo Kyiv Football Club Dynamo Kyiv (, ) is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club based in Kyiv. Founded in 1927 as a Kyivan football team of republican branch of the bigger Soviet Union, Soviet Dynamo Sports Club, Dynamo Sports Soc ...

after being named in the starting line-up, and scored his side's second goal during a 3–0 home win. Later that day, Inter announced that he had signed a two-year deal. He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win against Genoa.

International career

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 The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the compe ...

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 Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

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 In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...

, Marjan Mijajlović, named Džeko "the Bosnian Diamond" during a game versus

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Genk Genk () is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. I ...

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 Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (O ...

, tied with

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...

, behind Greek striker

Theofanis Gekas Theofanis "Fanis" Gekas ( el, Θεοφάνης "Φάνης" Γκέκας; born 23 May 1980) is a Greek professional football official, coach and a former player, who played as a striker. He is the manager of Turkish fourth-tier TFF Third League ...

' 10 goals. On 8 September 2012, in an 8–1 win over

, Džeko scored his first

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

who scored 22 goals. Džeko ended the

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...

campaign as second-top scorer with ten goals as Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the first major tournament in its history. In June 2014, Džeko was named in Bosnian squad for the

. He debuted in the team's opening group match, a narrow defeat to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

at the

Maracanã Stadium Maracanã Stadium ( pt, Estádio do Maracanã, standard Brazilian Portuguese: , local pronunciation: ), officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho (), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stadium is part o ...

. On 25 June with the team already eliminated, in the final group match against

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, Džeko scored the opening goal to help Bosnia and Herzegovina to their first ever

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

win. In August, following the retirement of Emir Spahić from the international team, manager

named Džeko the new

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. On 28 March 2015, Džeko netted his second international hat-trick, scoring all of the goals in a 3–0 away win over

Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...

UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from September 2014 to November 2015 to determine the 23 UEFA member men's national teams joining the automatically qualified host team France in the UEFA Euro 2 ...

, their first win in five games of the qualification campaign. On 13 November 2016, Džeko had an altercation in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

with Greek player

Kyriakos Papadopoulos Kyriakos Papadopoulos ( el, Κυριάκος Παπαδόπουλος; born 23 February 1992) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Super League club Lamia. Having made his first league appearances for Olympiacos a ...

, in which he pulled down

Sokratis Papastathopoulos Sokratis Papastathopoulos ( el, Σωκράτης Παπασταθόπουλος; born 7 June 1988), commonly known mononymously as Sokratis, is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Super League club Olympiacos. Club ca ...

' shorts while trying to obtain the ball. The subsequent fight between the two teams saw both Džeko and Papadopoulos sent off. It was his first red card in the national jersey. On 28 March 2017, Džeko became the first Bosnian player to score 50 international goals. On 23 March 2019, he made his 100th appearance for Bosnia in a 2–1 win over

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers.

Style of play

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, 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 A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, 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.

Personal life

Džeko was born in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

SR Bosnia and Herzegovina The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...

, 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 is

multilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...

, speaking five languages fluently: Bosnian,

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

. He is a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, and has

dual citizenship Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

and

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. Džeko stated that

has always been his favourite club and

Andriy Shevchenko Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko, or Andrii Mykolaiovych Shevchenko ( uk, Андрій Миколайович Шевченко, ; born 29 September 1976) is a Ukrainian football manager, a former professional football player and a former politici ...

his favourite player. In his home in Sarajevo, he still has a Milan jersey with the number 7 (worn by Shevchenko while at the club) on the wall in his room. Džeko is a first cousin of former fellow national team player and former captain Emir Spahić. In November 2009, Džeko became Bosnia's first

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

ambassador. He has since visited schools and children in his home country affected by the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

. On 6 July 2012, Džeko was accepted to the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a public university located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the larges ...

to study sport and physical education. On 10 September 2018, Džeko graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

. He has been in a relationship with model and actress, Amra Silajdžić since 2011, marrying her in 2014. In February 2016, he became a father of a girl named Una. His second child, a boy named Dani, was born on 9 September 2017. The couple announced on Instagram that they are expecting their third child, a baby girl. On 12 September 2020, the couple welcomed their third child, daughter Dalia.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

VfL Wolfsburg *

: 2008–09 Manchester City *

: 2011–12, 2013–14 *

: 2010–11 *

: 2013–14 *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Inter Milan *

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

: 2021–22 *

Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles in the previous seaso ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Individual * Bosnian Sportsman of the Year: 2009, 2018 * Bosnian Footballer of the Year: 2009, 2010, 2011 * Castrol Performance Index EDGE Performance of the Month: August 2011 *Bundesliga Players' Player of the Year: 2008–09 *''

kicker Kicker or The Kicker may refer to: Sports * Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football * ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany * Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player * Kicker, the word used i ...

'' Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2008–09, 2009–10 * Bundesliga top scorer (''Torschützenkönig''): 2009–10 * Serie A top scorer: 2016–17 *

Squad of the Season: 2017–18 *

Top Scorer: 2016–17 *

Squad of the Season:

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

: August 2011 *

Supporters' Player of the Season: 2017–18 *

Top Goalscorer: 2008–09

References

External links