The Sarajevo-born striker scored 72 goals in 189 City appearances after arriving from Wolfsburg in 2011, winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and League Cup.

He has since applied his scoring prowess in Italy with Roma. The 32-year-old plundered 39 goals over 51 Giallorossi games in 2016/17, and last year netted more times in the Champions League than any other player – 10 in just seven matches.

After firing the Italians to a first European Cup semi-final since 1984 last time out – coming from 4-1 down to stun Barcelona in the quarters – Dzeko is focused on going one better in 2019. And it will take something like a first Champions League success to rival the joy of clinching the 2011/12 Premier League title with seconds to spare.

Speaking exclusively in the March 2019 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, the Bosnian says: “Even though we played good football all season, to win the league like that in stoppage time made it even crazier, and I was just happy to be a part of it.

“I was there for four-and-a-half years, I won some trophies – after City had waited 44 years [for a top-flight title] – and had a great time, so it was a special period in my career.

“I still follow City when I can. They feel like my club, and it was a pleasure to play in the best league in the world – you want to play with the best and compete with the best. It’s amazing to see how much City have grown as a club since then.”

United they fell

City’s maiden Premier League triumph proved especially sweet as they pipped arch rivals United to top spot on goal difference, having hammered them 6-1 earlier in the season.

Dzeko bagged a late double in the Old Trafford demolition, and says the emphatic victory will always rank among the most cherished moments of his career.

“To beat them 6-1 in their own ground was a humiliation, especially in a derby when it’s even worse,” he beams. “It all happened so quickly – we got three goals in the last five minutes or something like that. Maybe that game gave us more power and energy to think we could do it at the end; that we were the team to win it that year.

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“Beating United with Alex Ferguson, one of the greatest managers in history, was a special moment for us and the fans, and it gave us an even more special relationship because they loved us more. United always had that flag which counted the years City were without a title, making fun of our fans. After the 6-1 they were quiet!”

Read the full interview with Edin Dzeko in the March 2019 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, which also features exclusive chats with Jadon Sancho, Gareth Bale and Andriy Shevchenko. Plus we present our six-point plan to become an incredible interim manager, visit QPR as they hope to banish their FA Cup hoodoo, go One-on-One with Nigel Winterburn and hear from football’s ultimate journeyman, Sebastian Abreu.

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