Edin Dzeko’s football career is nothing short of remarkable. With 342 goals scored as of September 2024, many fans feel that this talented striker still doesn’t receive the recognition he truly deserves. Known not only for his goal-scoring ability but also for his generosity on the pitch, Džeko has a knack for providing key assists in addition to finding the back of the net.
This is the story of Edin Džeko, a multilingual footballer fluent in five languages—Bosnian, Czech, German, English, and Italian. A devout Muslim with a deep passion for AC Milan, his favourite childhood club, Džeko, has always idolized Andriy Shevchenko, the legendary forward. In fact, in his Sarajevo home, he still proudly displays a Milan jersey with Shevchenko’s iconic number 7 on his bedroom wall, a tribute to his childhood hero.
Džeko’s journey from a young boy in Sarajevo to becoming one of football’s most celebrated strikers is nothing short of inspiring. Often known by his nickname, “The Bosnian Diamond,” Džeko is best remembered for his contributions to Inter Milan, where he solidified his legacy as a football icon.
In this biography, we explore Edin Džeko’s life, from his early years to his rise as a football legend. We’ll dive deep into his personal journey, including his love for the game, his influences, and the moments that shaped him into one of the finest forwards in the sport. Join us as we explore the story of a player who has dazzled fans with both his talent and humility on and off the field.
Edin Dzeko Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
For Biography starters, Bosnia Football Legend Edin Dzeko was born on the 17th day of March 1986 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was born to his mother, Belma Džeko, and his father, Midhat Džeko.
Edin Džeko’s childhood story is a masterpiece of courage and willpower. It is a tale of a boy who surged from bullet holes to make it to the top of the football world.
If it hadn’t been for his mother, Belma, who stopped her little baby boy from going to play football on the field, which got bombed a few minutes later, we would have known him today. The incident happened during the Balkan war days.
It goes back to 1992, the Bosnian War of Independence, which stretched from three years until 1995. It was one of the most horrific junctures in Balkan history as Bosnian Serbs and Croats fought over ethnicity.
Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Edin Džeko’s hometown, was heavily damaged during the war. Growing up in such difficult conditions, Džeko faced immense challenges in his early life. Despite these hardships, he persevered and went on to become one of the most recognized names in football, overcoming adversity to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Who is Amra Silajdžić? Edin Dzeko’s Lover:
On 31 March 2014, Džeko married his girlfriend Amra Silajdžić, who is a Bosnian model and actress. She is two years older than her man.
Amra was once married to a very young Serbian businessman, Vladimir Vičijentijević, with whom she has a fourteen-year-old daughter, Sofia.
The two realized that a good divorce was better than a bad marriage, and everyone went on their way.
The love affair between Amre Silajdžić and Edina Džeke began in 2012 while he was in Manchester City. This was before the arrival of Pep Guardiola’s forces – the likes of Kyle Walker (RB), Kevin De Bruyne (AM) and David Silva (AM).
For nearly a year, they speculated about their relationship; they were silent, and their relationship was announced by sharing photos on Twitter.
In February 2016, he became a father of a girl named Una. His second child, a boy named Dani, was born in September 2017.
Edin Dzeko Family Life:
Dzeko 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 Snr is considered a superstar in Sarajevo.
About Edin Dzeko’s Sister:
Merima Džeko is the look-alike sister of Edin Dzeko. She is not only his sibling but also his childhood best friend, as both spent lots of time together while growing up.
Below is a manifestation of the fact that Edin and Merima have been the best of pals.
The photo above was taken in Bosnia.
Personal Life:
We’ve found Edin Dzeko has the following attributes to his personality.
Edin Dzeko’s Strengths: He is Compassionate, artistic, intuitive, gentle, wise and very musical.
Edin Dzeko’s Weaknesses: Edin could be Fearful and overly trusting; he sometimes gets sad for little reasons and has the desire to escape reality.
What Edin Dzeko likes: Being alone, sleeping, music, romance, visual media and spiritual themes
What Edin Dzeko dislikes: Know-it-all, being criticized, the past coming back to haunt him, and cruelty of any kind, as he had seen in the Bosnian wars.
In essence, Edin Dzeko is very friendly and often finds themselves in the company of very different people.
He is also selfless, always willing to help others without hoping to get anything back. His emotional capacity sums up his totality.
Pulling Down Shorts:
Edin Dzeko once had the bare cheek to pull down an opposing player’s shorts in a bizarre twist to his country’s match with Greece, which happened in the year 2016.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina captain ended up seeing red when he was subsequently sent off.
The incident happened in the last 10 minutes of the World Cup qualifier when Dzeko’s team were leading 1-0.
It started when the former Manchester City player, now at Roma, went down under a challenge from Sokratis Papastathopoulos just outside the opponents’ penalty area.
The Greek’s shorts were pulled down as he attempted to wrestle the ball out of Dzeko’s grasp, resulting in an altercation involving most of the players from both sides as well as both teams’ technical staff.
Dzeko, who was already on a yellow card, was sent off by the referee, Jonas Eriksson, while Kyriakos Papadopoulos was given a straight red for pushing in the skirmishes after the initial incident.
Greece managed to score an equalizer during injury time, with both teams down to 10 men. After the match, Džeko expressed his frustration, saying,
“I got a red card for no reason, I don’t know why. The referee said I started the whole thing, but I was the only one who ended up on the floor, so how could I have started it?”
He continued, “I feel like we lost 3-0. Greece didn’t deserve this point. They didn’t even deserve a 1-0 loss—they deserved to lose 4-0.”
The Luggage Story:
This made lots of fans turn up their flight tracking apps and do airport information searches just to know if Edin Dzeko appeared to be on the move to London.
It was presumed that Edin Džeko’s destination was likely somewhere in Surrey, possibly Cobham, where Chelsea Football Club typically conducts medicals and signings. This information was first reported by Italy’s Mediaset Premium channel, which also noted that Džeko was accompanied by his sister and his agent, Silvano Martina.
Edin Dzeko Bio – Career in Summary:
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 another club, Teplice, to buy the poor lad.
Željezničar sold Edin Džeko for a modest fee of just €25,000, a decision that one of the club’s directors later reflected on by saying, “[we] thought we won the lottery.” In 2005, Džeko went on a loan spell to Ústí nad Labem, where he made an impression by scoring six goals in 15 games.
Later that same year, he returned to Teplice, where he played until 2007. During the 2006–07 season, Džeko netted 13 goals in 30 matches, making him the second-highest scorer in the Czech League that year.
Due to his performances, VfL Wolfsburg manager Felix Magath signed him for €4 million. He scored lots of goals at the club. This made his name on the first shopping list of scouts.
After heavy speculation, Roberto Mancini, manager of Manchester City, confirmed on the 3rd of January 2011 that a fee of £27 million (€32 million) had been agreed with Wolfsburg for Džeko.
That was City’s second-highest transfer figure, after Robinho’s £32.5 million (€42.5 million) move from Real Madrid in 2008. Fast forward to 2024, he joined the likes of those who play for Jose Mourinho. The rest, as they say, is now history.
Fact Check:
Thanks for reading the story of Edin Dzeko, a Leggend whose crucial goal against QPR marked the beginning of Man City’s dominant era.
We strive for accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver European Football Stories. Have you read the Life History of Kostas Tsimikas and Jan Oblak? If you see something in Edin Dzeko’s article that doesn’t look right in this article, please place your comment or contact us!