Schalke forward Edin Dzeko will retire from the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
The 40-year-old player said on Instagram on Thursday that the Nations League match against Sweden on October 2 will be his final match for the national team.
“Sometimes I found myself wondering when this moment would come… But I never imagined how emotional I would feel writing these words,” he wrote.
“Nothing in my career has ever compared to the pride I have felt every single time I wore that shirt. Nothing.”
Dzeko is the player with most games for Bosnia and Herzegovina with 151 appearances and 73 goals scored. He made his debut in 2007 in the Euro qualifiers against Turkey.
Dzeko was part of the squad who competed at this year’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
“It was my childhood dream, a dream I carried with me on each of the 151 occasions I had the honour of representing my country on a football pitch,” he said.
“Now I feel the time has come to step aside. 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.”
Dezeko remains active in his club career at Schalke, where he has a contract until June 2027.
Before facing Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina have Nations League clashes against Poland (September 25) and Romania (September 28).
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