The Italians are deeply afraid of Dzeko.

Italy marches to Zenica to play the final playoff match for the 2026 World Cup with excitement and determination, but they harbor a creeping fear named Edin Dzeko, a former friend who has now become a potential threat.

An event has escalated the pre-match tension to its peak: a video showing a group of Italian players—Federico Dimarco, Guglielmo Vicario, and Pio Esposito—expressing joy when Bosnia defeated Wales in the playoff semifinal. Bosnia viewed this as a display of disrespect from the Italians towards their team, but Dimarco explained it was merely a natural reaction to seeing their friend, Edin Dzeko, win. Dimarco later sent a congratulatory message to Dzeko and received one in return.

The mirror reflecting Italian football

Dimarco is entirely justified, as he and Dzeko spent two seasons as teammates at Inter Milan, reaching the Champions League final in 2023. Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni share similar experiences, while Gianluca Mancini partnered with Dzeko at Roma from 2019 to 2021. Most Italian players know Dzeko, and conversely, the Bosnian veteran understands Italian football as well as anyone.

Dzeko is not merely a striker who played in Italy; he resembles a mirror reflecting an entire decade of ups and downs in the nation's football. He arrived in Serie A in 2015, when Francesco Totti was still active. He witnessed Calcio struggling to regain its stature, triumphing at EURO 2020, and twice suffering bitter World Cup absences. Dzeko didn't just "work" in Italian football; he lived with it, grew with it.

He faced doubts at Roma, overcame countless criticisms to rise as a star, winning the Serie A top scorer title in 2017. Joining Inter at 35, Dzeko continued to make his mark with crucial goals, proving age is no barrier for a striker who knows how to survive. The respect Italians hold for him is undeniable, as seen when Fiorentina sought him at 39, and recently, at 40 plus 10 days, Dzeko leaped high to score the golden equalizer, helping Bosnia reach the final and becoming the first player to score for his national team for 20 consecutive years. He embodies the small but resilient Bosnian team, never surrendering or losing faith in themselves.

The fear named "the familiar one"

But what makes Dzeko formidable in tomorrow's match is not just his talent or composure, but his deep understanding of the Italian team and its football. He knows how Italian defenders think, how they organize defense, how they react in every minor situation. More importantly, he understands the individuals. Key Azzurri figures like Dimarco, Barella, and Bastoni were his teammates at Inter. They trained together, played together, knowing each other's habits, strengths, and weaknesses.

This is the root of an invisible fear for the Azzurri, because in the past, Italian football has repeatedly suffered painful defeats from those who were once very familiar.

Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, a German defender who scored only 3 goals throughout 11 years in Serie A (1963-1974), unexpectedly scored in the 90th minute of the 1970 World Cup semifinal, later hailed as "The Match of the Century." Notably, it was his only goal for the national team (then West Germany).

Michel Platini, one of Juventus' icons, scored to help France eliminate the Azzurri (then reigning champions) in the second round of the 1986 World Cup. "The Wind's Child" Claudio Caniggia, familiar in Serie A, contributed to crushing Italian dreams by scoring in the 1990 World Cup semifinal. Ahn Jung Hwan, who wore Perugia's shirt, scored the golden goal to eliminate Italy in the 2002 World Cup. Most recently, Aleksandar Trajkovski, who spent four years at Palermo, scored right in Palermo to cause Italy to miss the 2022 World Cup.

Dzeko could very well be the next name added to this list, or Sead Kolasinac (currently at Atalanta) or Tarek Murehanovic (currently at Sassuolo), who have also worn out their boots on Italian pitches.

Tomorrow's match in Zenica is not just a tactical confrontation but a psychological battle, where every small detail can become decisive. In football, as in life, the one who defeats you may not be stronger, but the one who understands you down to the finest detail. Dzeko is precisely such a person.