Edin Džeko primed for Bundesliga return with newly promoted Schalke
Fifteen years, eight months and 12 days since his last appearance in Germany’s top flight, evergreen Schalke striker Edin Džeko is hoping to make his mark in the Bundesliga once more.
The newly promoted Royal Blues, who are back in the top division for the first time since 2023 after winning the Bundesliga 2 title last season, begin their campaign at Augsburg on Sunday - and former Wolfsburg man Džeko will hope to play a starring role.
He may have celebrated his 40th birthday back in March, but the Bosnia and Herzegovina international’s goalscoring instincts appeared as sharp as ever last season after joining compatriot and head coach Miron Muslić in Gelsenkirchen on a short-term deal back in January.
Six goals and three assists between Matchdays 19 and 26 helped Schalke steal a march on their Bundesliga 2 promotion rivals, and although a shoulder injury kept him out of four of their last seven league games, Džeko’s role in Die Knappen’s top-flight return cannot be overstated.
Schalke averaged only 46 percent of possession in Germany’s second tier last season, but the acquisition of Džeko provided Muslić’s men with a vastly experienced focal point, helping them relieve pressure on their defence and bring some of their more athletic team-mates into play.
In only 11 second-tier appearances last term, Džeko won an impressive 58 aerial duels. His average of 5.27 successful aerial duels per game trumped that of Bochum striker Philipp Hofmann, who won more aerial tussles than any other striker in Bundesliga 2 last season.
Reflecting on Schalke’s title triumph in an interview with the official club website, Džeko - who won the 2008/09 Bundesliga title with Wolfsburg before leaving the club in December 2010 - said: “I’ve won quite a few titles during my career, but I’ve never celebrated one like we did here at Schalke.
“I’ve said from day one that Schalke belong in the Bundesliga. I wanted to help bring the club back to where it belongs. I absolutely made the right decision.”
His decision to sign a one-year contract extension with the Gelsenkirchen club could prove every bit as shrewd.
“My plan from the very beginning was to come back,” Džeko told reporters in August, fresh from helping Bosnia reach the knockout stages at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the USA. “I really only wanted to keep playing for Schalke.”
“I still have passion for football and remain hungry. I’m certain that I can still offer something to Schalke and help the team.”
The odds may be stacked against Džeko and his team-mates this season, but the former Manchester City, Roma and Inter Milan frontman is confident Muslić’s charges can adjust to the demands of top-flight football.
Nobody - not even Vincent Kompany’s all-conquering Bayern Munich side - will relish facing Die Knappen at a raucous Veltins-Arena, where Schalke won 13 and drew three of their 17 games last season.
“It won’t be easy as a newly promoted team, especially against big sides where we’ll need a lot of patience,” Džeko said. “But I’m 100 percent certain that we’ll be ready.”
Džeko has already hit the ground running this term, scoring twice in Schalke’s 5-2 extra-time victory over Hallescher FC in the DFB Cup first round.
The last time he completed a full season in Germany’s top flight - in 2009/10 - he ended the campaign as the division’s top scorer. The years may be catching up with the veteran marksman, but Džeko is ready to prove that age is nothing more than a number.
Augsburg had better beware.
