Edin Dzeko will make his 152nd and final appearance for Bosnia and Herzegovina next month, bringing an end to a 19-year international career in which he became the country’s most prolific scorer and one of its defining sporting figures.
The 40-year-old striker announced his retirement from international football in an emotional Instagram post on Thursday, saying he will represent Bosnia for the final time against Sweden on Oct. 2 in Zenica.
“Now I feel the time has come to step aside,” Dzeko wrote. “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.”
Dzeko has scored 73 goals in 151 appearances for Bosnia, records that make him the country’s all-time leader in both categories. He has also served as captain and become the face of a national team that has relied heavily on his goals, experience and leadership for nearly two decades.
His final international appearance will come at Bilino Polje Stadium, where Dzeko hopes to share one last memorable night with the supporters who have followed his career since his emergence as a young striker.
