"For me it’s simple: as long as the coach calls me up, I will accept and do my best to help as much as I can"
About this Quote
That plainness carries subtext. Dzeko is not speaking like a player trying to seize the spotlight; he is speaking like an elder statesman protecting the idea of continuity. "As long as the coach calls me up" signals deference to institutional authority, but it also neatly avoids entitlement. He is available, not presumptuous. Selection remains the coach's decision; service remains his own. For a veteran star, that's a careful and effective balance between humility and self-respect.
The phrase "do my best to help as much as I can" matters too. It lowers the temperature around individual heroics and shifts attention to usefulness. That is often how aging greats preserve legitimacy: not by insisting they are still the center of the story, but by presenting themselves as resources for the team. The language is modest, but the cultural work it performs is substantial.
In the context of international football, where retirement dramas and federation tensions are common, Dzeko's comment reads as a stabilizing gesture. It reassures supporters, respects the coach, and reinforces a particular ideal of national representation: you do not outgrow the shirt; you serve it for as long as you are asked.
Quote Details
| Topic | Coaching |
|---|---|
| Source | FIFA interview, "Dzeko: I will always say yes to Bosnia and Herzegovina" (September 5, 2025) |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Džeko, Edin. (2026, March 10). For me it’s simple: as long as the coach calls me up, I will accept and do my best to help as much as I can. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/for-me-its-simple-as-long-as-the-coach-calls-me-186037/
Chicago Style
Džeko, Edin. "For me it’s simple: as long as the coach calls me up, I will accept and do my best to help as much as I can." FixQuotes. March 10, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/for-me-its-simple-as-long-as-the-coach-calls-me-186037/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"For me it’s simple: as long as the coach calls me up, I will accept and do my best to help as much as I can." FixQuotes, 10 Mar. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/for-me-its-simple-as-long-as-the-coach-calls-me-186037/. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.

