The signing of star striker Edin Dzeko was FC Schalke 04’s big transfer coup in the winter. As autumn champions, the Gelsenkirchen team strengthened themselves in January with, among other things, the goalscorer, who hit Schalke directly and immediately became a crowd favorite. Even four months after his return to Germany, Dzeko himself is still overjoyed with the decision he made.
Edin Dzeko previously played an unsatisfactory first half of the season in the AC Fiorentina jersey and only made two starting eleven appearances in Serie A in 2025/2026. It was the Bosnian international himself who sought contact with his compatriot Nikola Katic. The FC Schalke 04 central defender then made further contacts and the winter move from Florence to Gelsenkirchen began.
“I’m more than happy that it worked out. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career,” said Dzeko in the club’s own podcast “Sach ma Schalke!” big words.
He also dispelled initial doubts that were raised from outside as to whether the center forward, at almost 40 years old and with some previous injury concerns, could still help in terms of sport, with his performance. “Of course there were people who weren’t so positive, but rather pessimistic. Of course I also knew that it could go either way,” admitted Dzeko.
Dzeko on his debut goal: “It was really cool!”
After eight games in the royal blue jersey, in which the former world-class goalscorer had already scored six goals for FC Schalke, all doubts about his performance were wiped away.
His debut goal for the Knappen alone, when Dzeko scored as a substitute in the 87th minute at home against Kaiserslautern to make it 1-2 (final score 2-2), remains unforgettable for the veteran.
“Before Lautern, I trained with the team three times, then I came in against Lautern. Then to score that goal, because it was awesome. Even for someone who has experienced everything, scored so many goals and won games. Something like that gives you even more of a push,” said the world star, who won major titles in Germany, England and Italy during his career.
Whether Edin Dzeko will sign a new Schalke contract until 2027 remained unclear until recently.