Edin Džeko

Edin Džeko
Edin Džeko.jpg
Personal information
Date of birth 17 March 1986 (1986-03-17) (age 24)
Place of birth Sarajevo[1][2], SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 3 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Wolfsburg
Number 9
Youth career
1996–2003 Željezničar
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2003–2005 Željezničar[3][2] 40 (5)
2005–2007 Teplice 43 (16)
2005 → Ústí nad Labem (loan) 15 (6)
2007– Wolfsburg 96 (59)
National team‡
2004–2005 Bosnia and Herzegovina U-19 8 (3)
2005–2007 Bosnia and Herzegovina U-21 14 (6)
2007– Bosnia and Herzegovina 28 (16)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:22, 4 September 2010 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10:22, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

Edin Džeko (born 17 March 1986 in Sarajevo[1][2]) is a Bosnian footballer who currently plays as a striker for VfL Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga, he is currently first team captain. In December 2009, he was named Bosnian Footballer of the Year.

He is also a member of the Bosnian national team, featuring as the team's star player.

Contents

Club career

Early career

Džeko made his debut at FK Željezničar, playing as a midfielder between 2003 and 2005 but scoring only one goal in a total of 40 games. He had a loan spell with Ústí nad Labem in 2005, during which he scored six goals in 15 games. Later that year, he moved to Czech club FK Teplice, playing there until 2007, scoring 16 goals in 28 games. He was the top scorer of the Gambrinus liga in the 2006–07 season. Due to his excellent performances, then manager Felix Magath of VfL Wolfsburg signed him for €4 million.

Wolfsburg

After transferring to Wolfsburg, Džeko was an immediate hit, scoring five goals and recording three assists in 11 games. He was also named by Sportal as the best striker in the first half of the 2007–08 Bundesliga season. During his first season in Germany, Wolfsburg finished in fifth place, qualifying for a UEFA Cup spot for the 2008–09 season. Džeko finished the 2007–08 season with eight goals and seven assists in 17 games started.

After Wolfsburg acquired fellow Bosnian international Zvjezdan Misimović, Džeko's performance was explosive in the second season. Despite a slow first half of the season, Wolfsburg found their form and won their first Bundesliga title. In May 2009, Džeko scored a hat-trick against TSG Hoffenheim, and another hat-trick against Hannover 96 just two weeks later, contributing towards a very strong finish to the 2008–09 season. He finished with a total of 26 league goals and 10 assists in 32 league matches. His goal tally was second only to teammate Grafite, with whom he formed the most successful strike duo in Bundesliga history.[4] In the DFB-Pokal, he scored six goals in two matches, and in the UEFA Cup, four goals and two assists in eight matches. These performances resulted in him being given the Bundesliga Players' Footballer of the Year award.[5] Despite attracting interest from Milan, Džeko decided to stay by renewing his contract until June 2013.[6][7]

He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal 30 September 2009 against Manchester United in a 2–1 defeat at Old Trafford.[8][9] He was one of 30 players nominated for the 2009 Ballon d'Or.[10] He became the top scorer of the Bundesliga in the 2009–10 season with 22 goals scored.

On 28 August 2010, Džeko became the best scorer in the history of the club with 59 goals in 96 appearances, surpassing Diego Klimowicz who scored 57 goals in 149 games.[11]

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 and played in the play-off's hosted in the Netherlands in 2007. Bosnia's first challenges in this competition were Armenia and Norway. They beat Armenia 3–2 and tied with Norway 1–1, qualifying for the playoff against the Czech Republic. In the first leg, Bosnia lost 2–1; in the second, the game ended in a 1–1 draw. Džeko scored several goals in the tournament.

He made his senior debut against Turkey on 2 June 2007. It was a memorable debut for the player, with a volleyed goal from the edge of the penalty area during the first half stoppage time. The goal leveled the score at 2–2 and Bosnia went on to win 3–2.[3] He scored nine goals in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying and finished as the second best scorer in UEFA qualification, tied with England's Wayne Rooney, both behind Greek striker Theofanis Gekas' 10 goals.[12]

UNICEF Ambassador

In November 2009, Džeko became Bosnia's first UNICEF ambassador.[13] He has since visited several schools in poor areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina and helped children who have had traumatic experiences related to the war in Bosnia and other situations.[14]

Career statistics

Club

As of 28 August 2010
Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bosnia-Herzegovina League Bosnian Cup Europe Total
2003–04 Željezničar Premier League 20 4 0 0 0 0 20 4
2004–05 20 1 0 0 0 0 20 1
Czech Republic League Czech Republic Cup Europe Total
2005–06 Ústí nad Labem Czech 2. Liga 15 6 0 0 0 0 15 6
2005–06 Teplice Gambrinus liga 13 3 0 0 0 0 13 3
2006–07 30 13 0 0 0 0 30 13
Germany League DFB-Pokal Europe Total
2007–08 Wolfsburg Fußball-Bundesliga 28 8 5 1 0 0 33 9
2008–09 32 26 2 6 8 4 42 36
2009–10 34 22 2 2 9 5 45 29
2010–11 2 3 0 0 0 0 2 3
Total Bosnia and Herzegovina 40 5 0 0 0 0 40 5
Czech Republic 58 22 0 0 0 0 58 22
Germany 95 57 9 9 17 9 121 75
Career total 193 84 9 9 17 9 219 102

International goals

As of 3 September 2010
# Date Location Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 2 June 2007 Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo  Turkey 2–2 3–2 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
2. 10 September 2008 Bilino Polje, Zenica  Estonia 5–0 7–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
3. 10 September 2008 Bilino Polje, Zenica  Estonia 6–0 7–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
4. 11 October 2008 BJK İnönü Stadium, Istanbul  Turkey 0–1 2–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
5. 15 October 2008 Bilino Polje, Zenica  Armenia 2–0 4–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6. 20 November 2008 Stadion Ljudski vrt, Maribor  Slovenia 1–3 3–4 Friendly match
7. 28 March 2009 Cristal Stadium, Genk  Belgium 0–1 2–4 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
8. 1 April 2009 Bilino Polje, Zenica  Belgium 1–0 2–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
9. 1 April 2009 Bilino Polje, Zenica  Belgium 2–0 2–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
10. 6 June 2009 Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Cannes  Oman 1–0 2–1 Friendly match
11. 12 August 2009 Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo  Iran 1–0 2–3 Friendly match
12. 12 August 2009 Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo  Iran 2–0 2–3 Friendly match
13. 10 October 2009 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn  Estonia 0–1 0–2 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
14. 14 October 2009 Bilino Polje, Zenica  Spain 2–5 2–5 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
15. 3 June 2010 Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt  Germany 1–0 1–3 Friendly match
16. 3 September 2010 Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City  Luxembourg 0–3 0–3 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Honours

Wolfsburg

Individual

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "VfL Wolfsburg: Dzeko (9)". vflWolfsburg.de. http://www.vfl-wolfsburg.de/8555.html. Retrieved 27 March 2008. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Official website". Edin Džeko. http://www.edindzeko.com. Retrieved 22 January 2010. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jody Houton and Ann Gripper (6 June 2009). "Edin Dzeko profile: 10 things you need to know about the Arsenal target". mirrorfootball.co.uk. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Edin-Dzeko-profile-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-Arsenal-target-article26864.html. Retrieved 22 January 2010. 
  4. ↑ "Grafite And Dzeko – A Match Made In Heaven". Goal.com. 23 May 2009. http://www.goal.com/en/news/725/bundesliga/2009/05/23/1282105/bundesliga-comment-grafite-and-dzeko-a-match-made-in-heaven. Retrieved 19 June 2009. 
  5. ↑ "Dzeko may stay at Wolfsburg". FIFA.com. 3 June 2009. http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1065883.html. Retrieved 19 June 2009. 
  6. ↑ "Dzeko delight at new deal". Sky Sports. 1 August 2009. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5466299,00.html. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  7. ↑ "Dzeko extends until 2013". VfL Wolfsburg. 1 August 2009. http://www.vflwolfsburg.de/50543+M5c2f95528da.html. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  8. ↑ Jonathan Stevenson (30 September 2009). "Man Utd 2–1 Wolfsburg". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/8278799.stm. Retrieved 22 January 2010. 
  9. ↑ Simon Stone (1 October 2009). "Man Utd 2 – 1 Wolfsburg: Giggs rolls back the years to hound out German champions Wolfsburg". sport.scotsman.com. http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Man-Utd-2--1.5693826.jp. Retrieved 22 January 2010. 
  10. ↑ "Man United 2–1 Wolfsburg: Carrick Seals Hard-Fought Victory". Goal.com. 30 September 2009. http://goal.com/en-us/news/174/uefa-champions-league/2009/09/30/1533224/man-united-2-1-wolfsburg-carrick-seals-hard-fought-victory. Retrieved 30 September 2009. 
  11. ↑ "Džeko najbolji strijelac u historiji Wolfsburga". sarajevo-x.com. 28 August 2010. http://www.sarajevo-x.com/sport/nogomet/clanak/100828069. Retrieved 28 August 2010. 
  12. ↑ "2010 World Cup Qualifying Statistics". FIFA.com. http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/statistics/index.html. Retrieved 19 June 2009. 
  13. ↑ "Edin Dzeko appointed as first UNICEF Ambassador in BiH". UNICEF. 16 November 2009. http://www.unicef.org/bih/media_13293.html. Retrieved 8 June 2010. 
  14. ↑ "Prva terenska posjeta UNICEF-ovog veleposlanika Edina Džeke" (in Bosnian). bljesak.info. 18 May 2010. http://www.bljesak.info/content/view/52345/155/. Retrieved 8 June 2010. 
  15. ↑ "Edin Dzeko named German Footballer of the Year". IMScouting. 3 June 2009. http://www.imscouting.com/global_news_item.aspx?id=2190. Retrieved 19 October 2009. 

External links

VfL Wolfsburg – current squad

1 Benaglio · 3 Friedrich · 4 Schäfer · 7 Josué · 8 Kahlenberg · 9 Džeko · 11 Cícero · 12 Lenz · 13 Hasebe · 15 Ziani · 16 Johnson · 17 Madlung · 18 Mandžukić · 19 Pekarík · 20 Riether · 21 Khalifa · 23 Grafite · 24 Dejagah · 28 Diego · 31 Caiuby · 32 Schindzielorz · 34 Kjær · 35 Hitz · 37 Karimov · 43 Barzagli · Manager: McClaren
Bundesliga top scorers
1964: Seeler · 1965: Brunnenmeier · 1966: Emmerich · 1967: Emmerich/G. Müller · 1968: Löhr · 1969: G. Müller · 1970: G. Müller · 1971: Kobluhn · 1972: G. Müller · 1973: G. Müller · 1974: Heynckes/G. Müller · 1975: Heynckes · 1976: Fischer · 1977: D. Müller · 1978: D. Müller/G. Müller · 1979: Allofs · 1980: Rummenigge · 1981: Rummenigge · 1982: Hrubesch · 1983: Völler · 1984: Rummenigge · 1985: Allofs · 1986: Kuntz · 1987: Rahn · 1988: Klinsmann · 1989: Allofs/Wohlfarth · 1990: Andersen · 1991: Wohlfarth · 1992: Walter · 1993: Kirsten/Yeboah · 1994: Kuntz/Yeboah · 1995: Basler/Herrlich · 1996: Bobic · 1997: Kirsten · 1998: Kirsten · 1999: Preetz · 2000: Max · 2001: Barbarez/Sand · 2002: Amoroso/Max · 2003: Christiansen/Élber · 2004: Aílton · 2005: Mintál · 2006: Klose · 2007: Gekas · 2008: Toni · 2009: Grafite · 2010: Džeko