Džeko receives State Award for Sport

Captain of the BiH national football team Edin Džeko is staying in Sarajevo, and today he will be awarded the State Award for Sport for 2016 at the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, writes Patria.

The Association of Sports Journalists nominated Džeko for this award. The State Award for Sport in the amount of 15,000.00 KM was also awarded to Džeko for his contribution to the successes of the BiH national football team, for which he has made 82 appearances since 2007. Džeko has scored 49 goals for the national team.       

Edin Džeko was born on March 17, 1986, in Sarajevo. He started his career at FK Željezničar and from his move to Czech Teplice until today, his career has only gone upwards. In 2007, he moved from the Czech Republic to Germany and started playing for Wolfsburg until 2011, despite being a target for many world clubs.

He debuted for the senior national team on June 2, 2007, against the Turkish national team, when he also scored his first goal. In March 2009, Bosnian sports commentator Marijan Mijajlović, during the broadcast of the match against Belgium, gave Džeko the nickname Bosnian Diamond, and Džeko scored one of the most beautiful goals of his career in that match. That nickname has remained to this day.

After much media speculation, on January 3, 2011, for 32 million euros, Džeko transferred from Wolfsburg to English club Manchester City. This was the sixth most expensive transfer in the history of the English Premier League, and the most expensive transfer of a player originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the 2013/14 season, Džeko scored his 50th Premier League goal against Crystal Palace in December 2013. 

In August 2015, Džeko officially signed a contract with Italian club Roma, where he still plays today. According to the contract, Džeko was loaned to Roma for 4 million euros, and Roma was obliged to buy out his contract for 11 million euros at the end of the season, after fulfilling the conditions regarding Džeko's number of appearances and goals that season. Džeko fulfilled these conditions as early as October 2015, and his transfer to Roma became complete.

In his debut season in Seria A with Roma, despite several minor injuries during the season, Edin Džeko made 39 appearances and scored a total of 10 goals and provided 6 assists.

Among his numerous awards are Etihad Player of the Month - January and August 2011, Premier League Player of the Month - August 2011, and he is the recipient of the Sixth of April Award of Sarajevo for 2013.

A Great Humanitarian

In November 2009, Džeko became the first UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador from Bosnia and Herzegovina. As part of this project, he visited several schools and orphanages in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is actively involved in humanitarian work and has responded to numerous aid campaigns. 

He is happily married and the father of one daughter. 

Džeko will not play in the match against Gibraltar due to yellow cards, but he will join the team for the friendly match with Albania.