Ex-Man City striker Dzeko, 40, pens new Schalke deal
Bosnia and Herzegovina captain Edin Dzeko has signed a one-year contract extension at Bundesliga club Schalke, with the 40-year-old set to continue playing top-flight German football into the 2026-27 season. The move keeps one of European football's most enduring forwards active well into his 40s, extending a career that began 23 seasons ago and included a spell at Manchester City.
Dzeko joined Schalke on a free transfer in January 2026 from Fiorentina and helped the club secure promotion back to the Bundesliga, scoring six goals in 11 Bundesliga 2 appearances along the way. He also captained Bosnia at the 2026 World Cup. It will be his first Bundesliga campaign since 2010-11 with Wolfsburg, before he left for City in a £27m deal; he remains some way off the division's oldest-player and oldest-goalscorer records, held by Klaus Fichtel (43 years, 184 days) and Claudio Pizarro (40 years, 227 days) respectively.
- Edin Dzeko, 40, signs one-year extension with Bundesliga's Schalke.
- Helped Schalke win promotion after joining from Fiorentina in January 2026.
- First Bundesliga season for Dzeko since 2010-11 at Wolfsburg.
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Edin Dzeko is a striker from Bosnia and Herzegovina who has played professional football for more than two decades. He became widely known in England during his time at Manchester City, after first playing in Germany for Wolfsburg.
Schalke are a German club who have returned to the Bundesliga, the country’s top division, after winning promotion from the second tier. Dzeko joined them from Italy’s Fiorentina in January 2026 and scored six times in 11 second-tier appearances.
The new deal means Dzeko is set to play in the Bundesliga again for the first time since 2011. He will be 40 during the 2026-27 season; the league’s records for oldest player and oldest goalscorer are held by Klaus Fichtel and Claudio Pizarro.