When Edin Dzeko was six years old, his mother made him stay home from the local football pitch. That day, a shell hit the field and killed several children.
Decades later, the 40-year-old striker has become the most decorated player in Bosnia-Herzegovina's history, carrying the hopes of a nation still scarred by war. Two Premier League titles with Manchester City, a German title with Wolfsburg, and a Serie A crown with Inter Milan line his trophy cabinet. Yet the image that may define his career is not a goal but a moment of vulnerability: celebrating Bosnia's penalty shootout win over Italy to qualify for only their second World Cup, his arm in a sling.
“Edin Dzeko, who survived Bosnia's war, leads his nation into only their second World Cup as his career nears its end.”
"His career is connected to the country's own image - resilience, persistence and proving people wrong," Bosnian journalist Sasa Ibrulj told the BBC.
Dzeko's family remained in Sarajevo during the near four-year siege of the city, as Serbian snipers targeted civilians including children. After his parents' house was destroyed, he moved in with his grandparents. "It was terrible," Dzeko told the Guardian. "The whole family was there, maybe 15 people all staying in an apartment about 35 metres square. It was very hard. We were stressed every day in case somebody we knew died."
The Bosnian War, which began in 1992, cost the lives of around 80,000 Bosnian Muslims. The Srebrenica Genocide perpetrated by Bosnian Serb forces was the largest massacre in Europe since the Holocaust.
After the war, Dzeko started at local club Zeljeznicar, where he was nicknamed Kloc - local slang for lamp-post - because of his lanky appearance. Directors could not believe their luck when Czech side Teplice offered to buy him for 25,000 euros. Years later, he became the first player to score at least 50 goals in the Premier League, Bundesliga and Serie A.
Now, with 73 goals in 148 appearances for his country, Dzeko enters what may be his final World Cup. Bosnia have been placed in a relatively even group with Canada, Switzerland and Qatar, and their campaign begins against co-hosts Canada on Friday at 20:00 BST. The final chapter of Dzeko's career could be the beginning of a new one for Bosnia.