GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany — Edin Dzeko has made his return to Germany, aiming to contribute significantly as Bosnia and Herzegovina strives for a spot in the World Cup.
On Thursday, second-division club Schalke announced the signing of the experienced forward from Italian team Fiorentina, hoping to enhance their promotion chances. Dzeko will celebrate his 40th birthday in March.
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“We are bringing in a striker with extensive experience at the highest levels of the game. Edin’s leadership and skill as a target man and goal-scorer will be invaluable to our team,” stated Schalke sporting director Youri Mulder.
Dzeko will look to demonstrate his capabilities in hopes of earning a World Cup call-up, should Bosnia qualify. In the playoffs set for March, Bosnia will first confront Wales, and potentially face the winner between Italy and Northern Ireland.
Dzeko is Bosnia’s all-time leading goal-scorer with 72 goals in a record 146 appearances.
Schalke confirmed that they have signed Dzeko, who will don the No. 10 jersey, for the remainder of the season, during which they have 16 games left to play.
Dzeko shared that he has been closely following Schalke’s development since he learned of the club’s interest.
“It’s truly impressive to see how the team has progressed this season after going through some challenging years,” Dzeko remarked.
Leading the German second division, Schalke is currently four points ahead of Elversberg and Darmstadt, with just over half of the season completed. The team’s success is largely attributed to a strong defensive strategy, despite being one of the lower-scoring teams in the league.
Dzeko first made his mark at Wolfsburg, helping the club secure the Bundesliga title in 2010, and later added titles with Manchester City (2012 and 2014) and Inter Milan (2022, 2023).