Micah and Edin reunited! Former City pals talk title win and Inter
‘My sprint when Aguero scored… it’s the fastest I’ve ever run!’: Micah Richards and Edin Dzeko relive Man City’s title win in 2012, talk Inter Milan’s clash with Liverpool and helping Mo Salah thrive
- Micah Richards and Edin Dzeko were part of Man City’s 2012 title-winners
- It’s often forgotten, but Dzeko’s equaliser teed up the famous Aguero moment
- The Bosnian striker spent five years with City, scoring 72 times in 189 games
- Dzeko won another title in 2014 as well as the FA Cup and the League Cup
- He subsequently joined Roma and is now leading the line for Inter Milan
- Serie A leaders will certainly pose a stiff test for Liverpool in Champions League
The Reunion must wait. MICAH RICHARDS had travelled to Milan to see his old team-mate EDIN DZEKO but a last-minute schedule change means the conversation that was planned to take place at Inter’s Suning Training Centre is now being staged on Zoom.
No matter. It is 11 years since these men came together to be part of a squad that would change Manchester City’s history and the bonds formed back then remain as strong as ever – so, too, does the form of the evergreen Dzeko.
Ahead of the blockbuster Champions League meeting with Liverpool, the first leg of which is staged at the San Siro next Wednesday, the Bosnian talked titles, reunions, dreams and the secrets of his longevity. DOMINIC KING listened in.
Edin Dzeko and Micah Richards celebrate a Manchester City goal in the 2011 Community Shield against Manchester United at Wembley
Now leading the line for Inter Milan, Dzeko is preparing to take on Liverpool next week
MADE IN MANCHESTER
Roberto Mancini paid £27million to bring Dzeko from Wolfsburg in January 2011. He was one of Europe’s most in-demand strikers and, over the next four-and-a-half years, he showed why. Without his goal against Queens Park Rangers in May 2012, history would be markedly different.
RICHARDS (smiling mischievously): Do you remember the first goal you scored for Manchester City and the fantastic cross that made it possible?
DZEKO (roars with laughter): FA Cup! Notts County away, we were losing and drew 1-1! Oh my God, I remember the pitch! Do you remember it? But you are right, you got the first assist. From that day, you made it possible for me! You started it all.
RICHARDS: Well, if you put it like that… I set Sergio up for his first against Swansea, I set you up at Notts County. Without me, there is No Edin Dzeko! I keep telling everyone that you don’t get the credit you deserve. You’re 35 now but I still don’t believe people appreciate what you do…
Dzeko celebrates his first goal in City colours, scored in a FA Cup tie with Notts County in 2011
DZEKO: When you see how it happened, it’s normal. Aguero scoring in the last seconds? Come on! You know, you were there, you saw it all. You can’t forget my goal but you can’t forget Zaba’s goal either and how everything went. But that whole season – we were the best team. Always.
RICHARDS: I was with Roberto Mancini last month in Florence. He was talking about the goose bumps of the Aguero moment but also said without you, there is no Aguero moment…
DZEKO: Mancini was such an influence. It wasn’t easy for him, to bring all these players from Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia and all the rest to build a team. He was a massive reason why the club has become what it is now.
I watched Leicester-Tottenham last month and I was laughing to myself about the way Tottenham won that night – then everyone started talking about how we won the league! When you go back to watch the goals and see what we did? My God, it makes you so much happier.
All that season I kept thinking: ‘we are going to win this’ but to win it in the way we did completely changes the story. Mancini is right about the goose bumps. Something like this will never happen again. I really believe it. The championship we won that day will stay forever in our hands.
It was Dzeko’s towering header to equalise in the 92nd minute that set up City’s incredible Premier League title win against Queens Park Rangers in 2012
RICHARDS: What is your best memory of the day, apart from the goal? Tell me something that people wouldn’t know…
DZEKO: The sprint I did when Aguero scored! That was probably the highest speed I reached in my life! I was the first to get to him. I thought beforehand: ‘we are at home; we play for the title after 44 years. There is no way we cannot finish this!’ When Zaba scored, I thought it would be easy… 3-0!
But in football, nothing is easy. When I came on at 1-2, I was like: ‘just try everything you can.’ When I scored, I went crazy: ‘Come on guys! Let’s go!’ But you know what? If you try to do what we did on a PlayStation today, you wouldn’t have the time to score two goals in two minutes. Crazy.
RICHARDS: But come on… did you really believe after you scored that it was on for us?
DZEKO: You saw the look on my face. I ran to the halfway line. There was no time to think about anything else, we just had to get forward. Even the fans who left the stadium would have started to believe; they came back and thought we could do it.
The Bosnian (middle) was the first to reach Sergio Aguero after his dramatic late winner
RICHARDS: How do you look back at your time in Manchester?
DZEKO: We laugh about Notts County but that goal wasn’t just important for me; it was important for the club because from that FA Cup, Man City started winning. Look at what they have done since then! I look back on that team, how many great players we had.
You know how stronger Manchester United had been in the years before. Then we won the first FA Cup, the first title, the second title, other cups. Before I left in 2015, I had signed a new deal. I had another three years on my contract and I wasn’t planning to leave.
But you know football. Everything goes so quick. I’ve been in Italy seven years now and I am more than happy here.
Dzeko parades the Premier League trophy after an unforgettable conclusion to the season
THE ITALIAN JOB
Dzeko joined Roma in August 2015 and spent six years in the Eternal City before switching to Milan last summer. He has been prolific in Serie A and has already helped Inter win the Suppercoppa Italiana; Simone Inzaghi’s team are also a point clear at the top as they look to retain Lo Scudetto.
RICHARDS: How did the move to Inter Milan happen?
DZEKO: Last summer was the first time I thought to myself: ‘I’m not going anywhere.’ The year before there had been something with Juventus; two years before there was something with Inter that was almost done. Last summer I didn’t expect to leave after Jose Mourinho came in.
Dzeko celebrates after Inter beat Juventus to secure the Italian Super Cup last month
I talked to him when he arrived and he knew I had a year left on my contract. It was an honour that such a great manager had come to the club. I told him: ‘I’m here and I will give everything for you and the club. But, with this being the last year of my deal, if something comes up can we consider it?’ Within a few days, Tammy Abraham had come from Chelsea and Inter had come for me.
RICHARDS: But you came to Inter at a time of upheaval: Antonio Conte left; Romelu Lukaku went to Chelsea and Achraf Hakimi was sold to Paris St Germain…
DZEKO: Conte did a great job the last two years here. Nobody expected Inter to be where we are now but I wasn’t afraid of coming here. I know my qualities and there are a lot of great players here. I just went for it and we are doing great.
Hopefully we can continue this way. We won the Super Cup after 10 years. We came through to the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in 10 years. We are still first in the league and we want to stay there. We have to continue like this.
The striker runs off to celebrate after scoring against Roma in the Coppa Italia this week
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DREAMS
Inter versus Liverpool is a fixture steeped in history – the clubs have nine European Cups between them – but there is added spice for Dzeko as he will come up against a number of former team-mates, among them Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker.
RICHARDS: Talk to me about the draw…
DZEKO (laughing): Which one?! This one against Liverpool or the one we thought we had against Ajax? Look, it was strange. This had never happened before! It hasn’t been a lucky draw for us because Liverpool, definitely can hurt anyone. But it is the Champions League, the best in the world.
Liverpool are favourites, we know it. But you cannot say 100 per cent one team will beat the other. We have a great team, too, and I’d say there will be lots of goals. We are both attacking teams. We are not a typical Italian side that stays back. But in games like this you have to defend well.
RICHARDS: Particularly when you are facing Mo Salah…
Inter face the daunting task of stopping Mohamed Salah and Liverpool in the round of 16
DZEKO: I will speak to him and Ali before we play! And don’t forget James! We cannot forget James Milner! Hey, you know how you said you take the credit for my first goal? I must say, in some little way, I helped Momo become what he is now! (winks) We had a great time together in Rome.
He is the player who likes to go into the spaces and I would go deeper to play it for him. I assisted so many goals for ‘Momo’. I’m so happy for him, a great guy who deserves everything he has achieved. It’s the same with Alisson.
We were together two years and in the second season, we got to the semi-final of the Champions League when Liverpool beat us – we lost that in the first leg at Anfield. A big part of getting there was down to Alisson. Some of his saves… wow! To win the big trophies, you need players like these.
Liverpool did an amazing job. I don’t know who the scouts are but when you see the prices they paid (Salah £39.6m, Alisson £64.6m), it’s incredible. Momo and Ali made the right choice going there, even if at the time they went you couldn’t see Liverpool winning so many trophies.
RICHARDS: I knew from being with Mo at Fiorentina that he was special. I could see there were going to be great things in his future and he always wanted to play for Liverpool…
Richards and Salah pictured together during their time playing for Fiorentina in Italy
DZEKO: But did you expect him to do so, so well in the Premier League? He found it hard at first in Chelsea but he made a great choice coming to Italy. You learn a lot here – you know that yourself.
With the defences you play against here, you learn how to move, how to avoid defenders, how to play against the best compact defences. I’m a 100 per cent sure this helped him. The qualities, as you say, were always there. The experience was key.
HOLDING BACK THE YEARS
Dzeko’s career began for the Bosnian side Željezničar in 2003. He will be 36 next month but the fire is still burning, so much so that he is thinking of how he can add to his total 60 goals in 118 appearances for Bosnia; his club tally is more than 300.
RICHARDS: How do you keep your level so high? We joked about you being 35 but I’m interested how you have sustained your hunger?
DZEKO: I’m working more than ever. Before we go out to train and after I come back in, I do injury prevention work – it’s so important. The food in Italy is great, so you have to eat healthy! I know I’m almost 36 and I have to protect myself from getting injured.
RICHARDS: Have you changed your diet because you look leaner than you were in Manchester?
Dzeko is fighting fit at 35 after concentrating on eating healthily while playing in Italy
DZEKO: Yeah. We had a great nutrition guy in Rome and the same here at Inter. As players, we need these guys. We play every three days and you need a good recovery. You need good food, you need to eat well. It’s helping me and when you know that, you keep doing it.
RICHARDS: But it’s the desire to keep going. Do you have the fear one day it will all be over and you won’t be a footballer anymore? I know what it’s like…
DZEKO: A little bit, yes. I’ve spoken to a lot of my old team-mates, who finished early. They wanted to be with their families, take some holidays. Then, after six months, it hits them. They say to me: ‘Don’t ever stop playing football!’
RICHARDS: They are right!
DZEKO: These words are in my head. I have one career. That’s my biggest motivation. I’m not thinking about management or coaching or anything like that. Let’s see what the options are when I finish – but I’m not thinking of finishing. There will be a time for that – but not yet. I want to play.
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