ROME (ITALPRESS) – On October 2, against Sweden, Edin Dzeko will play his final match for the Bosnia national team. His long love affair with his country’s national side is therefore set to come to an end soon.
The news was announced by the 40-year-old “Swan of Sarajevo” himself in a lengthy letter published on his Instagram profile. The Bosnia captain is widely regarded as the greatest footballer in the country’s history and holds numerous records, including “most appearances in the history of the national team, with 151 caps” and “the national team’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 73 goals.”
“Sometimes I wondered when this moment would come… But I never imagined how emotional I would be writing these words. On October 2, against Sweden, I will play my final match for our national team. Nothing in my career has ever matched the pride I felt every time I wore that shirt. Nothing. It was my childhood dream, a dream I carried with me on each of the 151 occasions when I had the honour of representing my country on a football pitch. I was always proud to do it, just as I was the first time,” Dzeko wrote.
“Almost twenty years have passed since that match against Turkey. So many things have changed, and I have changed too, but my love for this shirt never has. Now I feel that the time has come to take a step back. If I have made it to the age of 40 with the national team, it is because I truly gave everything I had. Every time. Everything.
“Playing for my country has been the most emotional opportunity that football has ever given me. The feeling I experienced that evening against Wales, and then in Zenica against Italy in March, will remain in my heart forever,” added the former Roma striker.
“Seeing my people celebrating in the streets of our cities was another incredible gift that football gave me. There is a time to thank everyone who stood by me and supported me throughout this wonderful journey. For now, I hope they will be there that evening against Sweden, so that we can share one more emotion… Because each of these incredible experiences was something we lived through together.
“And this is how I want to experience my final night representing my country: with all of you by my side, wearing the shirt I have loved since I was a boy, the shirt I will love for the rest of my life,” Dzeko concluded.
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS)
