Edin Dzeko - Manchester City's unsung hero

The table toppers of England’s top flight football, Manchester City, gave football lovers some names to talk about in coffee houses – Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli, Yaya Toure, Kompony, Hart, David Silva and Tevez. Along with these superstars, there was another player who went unnoticed. His name is Edin Dzeko, City’s no. 10, and a true fighter.

Born in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dzeko spent most of his childhood playing football. He burst into the international scene during his time at Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, topping the goal-scoring charts in both seasons. Dzeko was acquired by Manchester City in the winter transfer window of the 2010-11 EPL season for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around 27 million. This made him the second most expensive signing of Manchester City. Dzeko had a descent season, scoring three goals, which were eventually very important in the team’s success that year.

Dzeko started the new season with a exquisite goal in the Community Shield. Dzeko carried his good form into the next game, which was the season opener against Swansea, by scoring the opening goal for City. Against Bolton, he provided one assist and scored the winner. By this time, Dzeko had established himself as Mancini’s first choice, ahead of Aguero, Tevez and Balotelli. The best was yet to come from Edin. He scored a hat-trick against Spurs at White Hart Lane, and the Bosnian went on to play the next few games for City, which included the Champions League and the Carling Cup tournaments.

A poor run of form and a lack of goals saw Dzeko lose his place to other players like Balotelli and Aguero. Since Tevez was still in exile, Dzeko did make it regularly to the bench and added to Manchester City’s bench of superstars. Dzeko scored 4 goals in 3 games in the winter, and the contribution was again of significance as it let City progress to the next round in the Europa Legue. But with the return of Tevez, things became even more woeful for the Bosnian. He did start in the 3-3 draw against Sunderland, in which he was the stand out player for city. He also come on as a substitute against Newcastle United as well, in which he played well.

Dzeko provided the momentum to the team, which is indispensable at the start of a season. Edin has always been a very handy player and his contribution was invaluable. I believe that if Dzeko had played more games, he would have scored more goals. With tough competition in the team, and interest from other clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and PSG, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Dzeko bid goodbye to City.

One thing which no player in Manchester city could do was score goals at the the most difficult times. His never-say-die attitude distinguishes him from other City strikers and makes him Manchester City’s unsung hero.