Interviews

Edin Dzeko: “My heart remained in Rome.”

Andy Mattioli
Edin Dzeko of Fenerbahce during the warmup. Fenerbahce and Union Saint Gilloise faced each other in the UEFA Conference League Round 16 Match, the match took place at Ulker Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on March 14, 2024. (Photo by Yagiz Gurtug / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by YAGIZ GURTUG/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Giallorossi striker Edin Dzeko looked back on his spell in the Italian capital.

In an interview with FourFourTwo, Dzeko discussed Roma’s historic Champions League run in 2017/18 and his farewell from the club in 2021 after six years of service.

“In 2017/18 we looked as if we were in a trance,” said the Fenerbahce attacker.

“In that season we had almost no average performances: either we were brilliant or we were terrible. We would lose by a wide margin, then get back into the game and move on to the next stage.”

“It’s one of the strangest Champions League seasons ever. We made epic comebacks and all the players had confidence in their abilities.”

“Barcelona? We wanted to put some pressure on them and try to recover from the 4-1 deficit from the first leg, but you are playing against Barça: one of the best teams in the world at that time.”

“However, our desire was enormous and we all breathed in unison. When we scored the first goal, we believed we could turn the result in our favor. We saw the faces of the Barcelona players, who no longer seemed so confident. This gave us extra strength.”

“My farewell? After six great years at Roma, it was time for something new. It was good for both me and the club to part ways, and it turned out to be the right thing. My heart remained in Rome, my children were born there and I left Roma not so easily, but I wanted to win trophies and I won four with Inter.”

Match Center

MatchDay 33
19 Apr 20:45
Roma
Verona
VER