How old – Edin Džeko, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s captain and all-time leading scorer, is expected to be a full participant when his team faces Canada on June 12. At 43, he is one of the oldest players in the tournament, returning to a World Cup stage that tests not just f
When Bosnia and Herzegovina take the field against Canada on June 12, Edin Džeko will be carrying more than expectations. Two months after he hurt his collarbone in the final minute of extra time during a decisive qualifier against Italy. the captain and striker is expected to be a full-go for the World Cup opener.
It will be the first tournament for a young-looking squad. Bosnia entered its inaugural World Cup appearance in 2014 with only two of its 26 players suiting up then. Džeko was one of them. By 2026. the team that leads into this opener includes largely new national team faces over the past two years. and Džeko—national team all-time goal scorer with 73 goals and the most-capped player with 140 appearances—has to help carry them through a moment where history and physical wear collide.
Ahead of the match. Bosnia head coach Sergej Barbarez faced the same question that comes up around Džeko everywhere: why keep focusing on one player?. In a June 11 news conference. Barbarez said that. despite being asked multiple times about his captain and most famous player. he did not want to highlight a specific individual. “I have been his coach and I engage in communication with him on a daily basis. not only when it comes to our job. but also in our personal lives. ” Barbarez said through an interpreter. “He doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody because he’s done it all too many times and I’m extremely happy to have him among our ranks.”.
At 43 years old, Džeko is also one of the tournament’s oldest names. Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon is the oldest player in this World Cup at 43, and Cristiano Ronaldo, at 41, is the second-oldest. Džeko, along with Luka Modrić of Croatia and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, are all 40.
In the days leading up to the Canada game, Džeko’s presence has extended beyond training ground talk. In an essay published June 11 on The Players Tribune. addressed to the youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina. he wrote that he does not like to talk about his memories of the Siege of Sarajevo because they are painful. He shared that. as a boy. he survived the siege. and that his younger teammates can only understand it through stories their families tell. He did. however. describe how he and family members played monopoly while crammed into grandparents’ apartment because going outside was too risky.
Džeko wrote that he was 10 when the violence ended and said. “In the end. we survived.” He described looking back at those years with disbelief. saying. “We were just little kids. But there was no point to the war. All those innocent people killed, and for what?. For money. Power. Ego. For nothing.” He added, “When there is war on the news today, I feel sick. I don’t want to see it anywhere. For some reason, adults never learn.”.
That perspective has become part of how teammates see him as his career has aged. Defender Sead Kolašinac. Džeko’s lone teammate from 12 years ago who is by his side again. represents the continuity of a squad that has been reshaped. To many teammates, Džeko has shifted from childhood hero to something closer to a comrade.
Džeko also wrote about what it feels like to be the adult in a room where the pressure is still heavy. “Sometimes. ” he wrote. “he feels every bit of his age.” He described the physical grind of being 40. writing. “Getting here was never easy. It’s still not when you’re 40. and your back is screaming the next morning. and you have to reach for the painkillers again.”.
The World Cup grind, he said, hits the mind as much as the body. He wrote that every time his body wants to quit. he remembers “all the parties that I’ve missed. ” “all the months I’ve spent away from my family. ” and “all the summer holidays I’ve dedicated to tournaments while my friends were off to sip cocktails on a beach.” He acknowledged that criticism still hurts. but wrote that when he walks out on the pitch he feels “like a kid. ” with “butterflies in my stomach and stars in my eyes.”.
He ended his message with a direct note to children. offering a simple identity and a reminder of what they carry with them. “Whether you live in Sarajevo, or Rome, or St. Louis. … Whether you are Muslim or Jewish or Catholic or Orthodox. … Never forget where you came from. You are Bosnian. The world is at your feet. Love you all.”.
For Bosnia’s young group walking into a World Cup opener. Džeko’s age will be easy for the headlines to count. But on June 12, the story is likely to feel heavier than numbers. A collarbone injury from the Italy qualifier. a 73-goal legacy and 140 caps. and a memory of Sarajevo’s siege sit behind one task: to lead the team through a match against Canada. while showing what survival and adulthood look like in the same stride.
Edin Džeko Bosnia vs Canada 2026 World Cup Sergej Barbarez Edin Dzeko age Craig Gordon age Cristiano Ronaldo age Luka Modric Manuel Neuer World Cup qualifiers vs Italy Siege of Sarajevo The Players Tribune