After Messi and Aubameyang: another veteran retires from international football
The all-time top scorer for his country's national team
Another veteran has called time on his international career, days after a string of major stars did the same.
The past few days have seen a flurry of international retirements, headlined by Argentina's Lionel Messi, Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Germany's Antonio Rüdiger.
Now Bosnia's Edin Džeko has joined them. The striker confirmed on Thursday that the UEFA Nations League clash with Sweden on 2 October will be his last for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At 40, the striker closes the book on nearly two decades with his country, a journey that began back in 2007.
Captain and one of the defining figures in Bosnian football history, Džeko leaves as the all-time top scorer with 73 goals in 151 caps.
He led the line at this summer's World Cup, driving the team on until the United States knocked them out in the round of 32.
Six goals in qualifying proved decisive, firing Bosnia and Herzegovina to only their second World Cup appearance.
His farewell comes at home against Sweden, with his team-mates then travelling to face Poland three days later.
In a lengthy message on social media, Džeko admitted he had always pictured this moment without grasping how hard it would be to live through.
He wrote: "Sometimes I found myself wondering when this moment would come... but I never imagined the depth of emotion I would feel as I write these words".
"On the second of October, against Sweden, I will play my next and last match with our national team," he continued. "Nothing in my sporting career compares to the feeling of pride and honour I felt every time I wore this shirt. Nothing at all".
Džeko went on: "It was my childhood dream, a dream I carried with me on every one of the 151 occasions I had the honour of representing my country on the field of play. I was always proud to carry out this duty, just as it was the first time".
"Twenty years have passed since that match against Turkey," he added. "Many things have changed, and I have changed too, but my love for this shirt has never changed. Now I feel the time has come to step aside. If I have continued until the age of forty with the national team, it is because I truly gave everything I have. Every single time, I gave everything. Playing for my country was the most precious emotional opportunity football gave me".
The Bosnian star added: "Qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in our history in 2014 remains one of the happiest moments of my life as a footballer. The emotions that ran through me on the night of the goal against Wales, then against Italy in March, will remain alive in my heart forever. Seeing my people celebrating in the streets of our cities was another amazing gift the game gave me".
"There will be a time to thank everyone who stood by me and supported me throughout this wonderful journey," he continued. "For now, I only hope that you will be present on that night against Sweden, so that we can share one final emotional moment together... because every one of these moments is unforgettable, and was something we lived and wrote together".
Džeko concluded: "And this is how I want to live my last night representing my country: with all of you by my side, and me wearing the shirt I have loved since I was a child, and the shirt I will keep loving for the rest of my life".
