Why Edin Džeko is better than us

By: Amina Čorbo-Zećo

Captain of the BiH national football team and AS Roma player Edin Džeko is playing in the form of his life. On Wednesday evening, he scored two goals in his team's victory, thus strengthening his leading position on the list of top scorers in the Italian championship. The whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina is celebrating this, but it is only a matter of time before a turnaround occurs and the "great experts" start wondering why Džeko is not trying, not running, why he doesn't score goals for the national team in every match.

Last night, Džeko equaled a 16-year-old record. He is the top scorer in Serie A this season with 10 goals scored in as many matches, thus equaling the record of "Vučica" from the 2000/01 season, held by the legendary Argentine Gabriel Omar Batistuta.

The case of Edin Džeko, a top ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, best illustrates the state of the nation. From ecstasy to despair, and back again, our 'Edin's pendulum' swings.

Social networks have been buzzing with praise, and even the biggest critics are not ashamed to post a picture of the Diamond with the remark "Is there anyone better"? There is no one better, that's for sure, because Edin is impossible to compare, with all due respect to the other 'candidates'.

Edin Džeko has often felt firsthand that we as a nation are prone to superfluous talk and are 'superfluous' critics. Why do we quickly forget the good, and don't even let the bad in us take a break? Until a few days ago, many were wondering why Džeko didn't include Zvjezdan Misimović or Miralem Pjanić in the ideal team, why he socializes with this or that person, why he lives with this or that person? These questions are important spiritual food for some individuals, and in that quiz, they only forget who they are.

Even in those moments, Džeko shows his greatness by remaining calm and dignified. He is a humanitarian, a footballer, a Bosnian who never forgets where he comes from. Unlike many politicians whose duty it is, Džeko gives what he can for his country and takes nothing from it. He publicly called for votes for Ćamil Duraković, he is a UNICEF ambassador, he advocates for children's rights, the rights of disabled people, he rejoices and grieves together with the nation.

And that's where we fail, in that human aspect of Edin, which he never stops proving.

We are proud when our eastern neighbors 'boast' about how they can't get over the fact that Džeko is not Serbian, when European commentators awkwardly pronounce "Dzekooo", when he defeats opponents, breaks records, when he makes BiH happy. On the other hand, there are us, often full of bitterness over things that don't even concern us.

Do we need to mention that some have publicly stated that Džeko should no longer be called up to the national team!? We are a nation with the most football selectors per capita. Most often, the selectors are only for Edin Džeko.

Do such people have the right to rejoice today? Džeko is currently better than Messi, Ronaldo... and graces the covers of almost all sports newspapers in the world... This morning, even those who don't know how to find this little country with just under four million inhabitants on the map heard about Bosnia and Herzegovina. But it's good that they know that Edin Džeko belongs to BiH...

And that's why he is better than all of us.