GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Edin Džeko has returned to Germany where he hopes to play more to help Bosnia earn a World Cup ticket.
Second-division Schalke signed the veteran forward from Italian side Fiorentina to boost its prospect of promotion on Thursday. Džeko will be 40 years old in March.
“We’re signing a striker who has played at the highest level in his career. Our team will benefit from Edin’s experience as a leader as well as his qualities as a target man and goal-scorer,” Schalke sporting director Youri Mulder said.
Džeko will hope to showcase his ability to earn a World Cup call up if Bosnia qualifies. In playoff matches in March, Bosnia first faces Wales and then potentially the winner between Italy and Northern Ireland.
Džeko is Bosnia’s record goal-scorer with 72 from a record 146 games.
Schalke said it was signing Džeko, who will wear No. 10, for the remaining 16 games of the season.
Džeko said he’s been following Schalke’s progress since the club made its interest known.
“It’s very impressive how the team has developed this season after some difficult years,” Džeko said.
Schalke leads the German second division by four points from Elversberg and Darmstadt with a little more than half the season played. The team’s success has been built on a solid defense. The bottom three teams have all scored more goals than Schalke.
Džeko became a star at Wolfsburg where he helped the team to the Bundesliga title in 2010. He also won titles with Manchester City (2012 and 2014) and Inter Milan (2022, 2023).
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer