Džeko ahead of the World Cup: We are a quality team, I believe I can still help

(Patria) - Captain of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team Edin Džeko is facing another major challenge in his career, performing at the World Cup in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.

In an interview with the British Guardian, he spoke about longevity, the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, qualification for the World Cup and the future.

"Sometimes everything comes to an end, maybe mine is approaching too," said Džeko.

At 40 years old, he will be one of the oldest players at the tournament.

"If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have said I definitely wouldn't be playing at 40. However, I listen to my body, I work a lot before and after training and I take care of every detail. I still feel good and I believe I can help my team," he said and added:

"When you are 20 years old, you don't think about extra training, recovery and injury prevention. You want to spend time with friends. Later you realize how important it is to invest in your body if you want to stay at the top level."

After a short spell at Fiorentina, a move to Schalke followed in January, where he quickly became an important part of the team.

His debut brought a goal, and in total he scored six goals and made a significant contribution to the club's return to the Bundesliga.

"A lot was said about Italy, their failure and our stadium in Zenica, but few talked about how quality a team Bosnia and Herzegovina is. We have many young players who have shown their value," he said.

"Remembering the 2014 World Cup in Brazil..."

"Playing the first match against Argentina at the Maracana was something special. The only thing missing was advancing to the next stage of the competition."

Group at the upcoming World Cup: Canada, Switzerland and Qatar.

"Switzerland has great players and a lot of experience, but we believe in ourselves and our qualities. We have a good team and we want to do something great."

About the continuation of his career:

"First, I have to talk to the club and see what the plans are. Schalke is a big club with fantastic fans and everything that happened in the last four months was even better than I expected."