In this retrospective sports feature, we return to the time when Edin Dzeko was just a boy with dreams, awkwardly chasing the ball in the blue jersey of Zeljeznicar, before becoming one of the most famous footballers from this region.
As a boy, Edin grew up in the Sarajevo neighborhood of Otoka, where, despite the shadows of war and the hardships of his surroundings, he spent every free moment with a ball at his feet. While others fled from danger, he and his friends searched for space to play, often amid the sounds of distant gunfire and through the ruins of the city. It was precisely such moments, on concrete playgrounds and among improvised “pitches,” that forged his tireless spirit and passion for football.
In 2003, wearing the youth kit of Zeljeznicar, a tall and slender teenager with a smile full of hope made his debut for the senior team of his beloved club. The blue jersey was more than a uniform to him; it was a symbol of home, of a club that accepted him and gave him the opportunity to show what he had been showing for years on the streets of Sarajevo: talent, a hunger for goals, and a gift rarely seen. At just 17 years of age, he played more than 40 matches for Zeljo and scored several goals that heralded his future greatness.
However, Edin Dzeko’s football journey quickly developed beyond the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). At the age of 18, he moved to the Czech Republic, to FK Teplice, where he continued to score goals and demonstrate his immense potential. By the end of the 2006/07 season, he was among the most efficient scorers in the Czech league, which opened the doors of Europe’s football elite to him.
His meteoric rise continued at Germany’s Wolfsburg, where he became a key player and helped the club win its first Bundesliga title in history. This was followed by clubs such as Manchester City, where he won the English Premier League and the FA Cup, and then AS Roma and Inter, where he confirmed his status as one of the most accomplished strikers of his era.
Dzeko was not only a club star; on the international stage, he also became the captain and top scorer of the BiH national team, winning the hearts of fans across the country.
Today, when Edin Dzeko is mentioned, memories are not limited solely to goals and trophies. Instead, we recall the boy in the blue Zeljeznicar jersey, whose dream, perseverance, and love for football never allowed any obstacle to push him away from his goal, to one day shine on the world’s greatest stadiums.
