‘I didn’t think I’d be playing at 40’: Edin Dzeko on defying age to lead his country at the World Cup

After helping to shock Italy in the playoffs, the Bosnia and Herzegovina captain is out to upset co-hosts Canada in their opening match on Friday

“Sometimes there is an end for all of us, maybe mine is coming soon,” says Edin Dzeko, though first there is the small matter of captaining Bosnia and Herzegovina at only their second World Cup, lessons learned. “When I was 17, 18, people were telling me: ‘Experience is something you get by playing for so many years,’” he says, screwing up his face a little, “when you think like a 17-year-old.” A smile unravels on Dzeko’s face. “But when you arrive at this age you know experience is fundamental.”

When he was sold by the Sarajevo-based Zeljeznicar to the Czech team Teplice as a teenager, few envisaged him forging an elite career that has taken him to Europe’s best leagues and the biggest stages in the game. He is one of seven fortysomethings who could feature at the tournament this summer, along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric and, just like those two, inevitably much of the intrigue in Dzeko is rooted in longevity. To cut to the chase, what are the secrets to his success?