EXCLUSIVE: Misimovic on Bosnia's World Cup return, Dzeko's greatness and Wolfsburg glory

You were part of the generation that made history by taking Bosnia and Herzegovina to their first ever World Cup in 2014. Looking back today, what does that achievement mean to you personally?

"It means a lot. To qualify for the first time in history with your own country, for the biggest tournament in the world, was amazing. For a small country like Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the people here, it was phenomenal given the situation, given everything. When you look back, it was fantastic."

How do you remember the emotions when Bosnia officially qualified, and then the opening game against Argentina, which was a strong performance despite the 2-1 loss?

"At that moment you don't realise what you have achieved. You realise it later, like now, when everybody is talking about it. Then you understand what we did. And the first game especially, when you hear your anthem in the legendary Maracanã against Argentina, was fantastic."

You faced Lionel Messi, who is still scoring goals to this day. The next game, against Nigeria, brought a controversial moment when Edin Džeko had a goal disallowed. Does that still play on your mind?

"Of course. I remember it was not offside. When I passed the ball through to Edin, the referee whistled and said it was offside. I think if we had gone 1-0 up in that game we would not have lost, which would have meant qualifying for the next round. It is a pity. At that moment there was no VAR, and that is how it is. Sometimes the newspapers remember the date and write that it was not offside 10 years ago or eight years ago. But football is like this. That is why everybody loves football."

Do you still feel Bosnia deserved more from that World Cup? And what was the atmosphere in the dressing room after the Nigeria game?

"Of course we were frustrated, because straight after the game we knew there was no offside, and those small decisions can change a match. I think my generation deserved a few more tournaments as well. But at that time it was much more complicated to reach a big tournament than it is now. We had the misfortune of playing Portugal twice in the play-offs. They were very strong then, and it was still very close. If the rules had been different, like they are now, I think we would have been at one or two more tournaments."

A young Bosnia back on the big stage

Bosnia are back at the World Cup after 12 years. How important is that qualification for the country and its football culture?

"It is very important. I know how it felt 12 years ago. It is a big atmosphere, all the people are positive, watching the games, and they are so happy. For a small country like us, it means a lot to be at the biggest sports event in the world."

Do you rank the play-off win over Italy as one of the greatest moments in Bosnian football history?

"Yes, for sure. In the play-offs we had two difficult games, against Wales and against Italy at home, and nobody expected us to qualify. We were a little bit lucky, twice in penalty shootouts where we came out on top. As I said, nobody expected us to qualify, and I think that is why the emotions and the happiness of the people were even bigger."

Is there any way to compare your generation with the current one? Edin Džeko connects the two.

"There are actually two players. Kolašinac was also there two or three years ago. I don't like to compare generations, it is a different time. But I think our generation was more experienced, and we had more players in the top five leagues in Europe. This generation is quite young. They have no experience, but they are fresh, and the most important thing is that they don't lose the kid inside themselves. They just enjoy the game and play football."

Edin Džeko is arguably the greatest player in Bosnia's history. How would you describe his legacy for future generations? Can he be compared to what Messi is for Argentina or Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal?

"I would say Edin is the best player in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He did not show his quality for just a few years, he showed it for decades. In every team and every league he played in, he was almost always the top scorer. He is a big professional, 100 percent professional. That is why, even at 40, he can still compare with young players and stay at this level."

The opening game finished 1-1 against Canada. Watching it, did you feel Bosnia should have taken all three points?

"The team is very young, and for a lot of players it was their first game at a World Cup. They didn't play as freely as they did in qualifying. But it was a difficult game. Canada played at home with huge support. I think we started very well, and at the end Canada put on pressure and equalised, around 10 minutes before the end. So it was a good point."

You played for many years against Sergej Barbarez in the Bundesliga, and he is now Bosnia's head coach. How do you assess the job he is doing?

"Qualifying for the World Cup is a huge achievement. He was a great player. As a coach he had no experience, and the beginning was very difficult, with tough friendlies against England, Germany and the Netherlands. But in the end he formed a team with young players, and the success gives him the right to say he is on the right path."

Beyond Džeko and Kolašinac, who do you consider the key players for this Bosnia squad?

"Edin is important on the pitch and off it, with the quality and experience he has. I would also point to the young players like Bajraktarević and Alajbegović, who are very important, very skilful and fast. But the most important thing is that they are a team. They fight for each other, they die on the pitch, and that is what makes the difference."

From national team director to club president

Between 2020 and 2024 you worked as sporting director of the national team. What were the biggest challenges in that role?

"It is very difficult in Bosnia, because we have Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks here. A lot of players see Croatia or Serbia as their first country, so the good players sometimes prefer not to play for Bosnia. The biggest challenge was convincing them to come and play for us, and that is not easy. When you compare it with the big countries like Croatia, who are at almost every World Cup, it is not simple."

Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of Bosnian football over the next five to 10 years?

"A lot of work has been done. The infrastructure is not at the level of other European countries yet, but it is improving. We are getting new hybrid pitches. We need new training facilities and stadiums, and it is going forward, especially since the new federation president, Vico Zeljković, came in. You can see it in the results too. We reached a Conference League quarter-final with Borac Banja Luka two years ago, Zrinjski have qualified for the group stage twice, and now the national team is at the World Cup. It is getting better and better."

You are now president of Borac Banja Luka. What is the project there, and where do you want the club to be in the next two or three years?

"We are talking with the local politicians, because without them we cannot build a new stadium. That is the main target, along with a modern training camp. You need those basics to compete with other teams in Europe. Of course, we won the championship this year, which is very important, because for a small club like us, playing in Europe means a lot."

Do you dream about the Champions League one day?

"I think that is far away. We need to be realistic. The Conference League is the best option for small clubs like us. The Europa League or Champions League is still a little bit too good, too hard. Step by step, that is the best way to do it."

Wolfsburg's miracle and the magic triangle

The 2008-09 season remains one of the greatest surprises in Bundesliga history. How special was that title-winning campaign?

"I can compare it with the World Cup qualification with Bosnia, because it was also the first title in Wolfsburg's history. Nobody expected it, especially after the first half of the season, when we were around ninth. Then we had a run of 10 wins. In Germany you also need Bayern Munich not to be at their level, to have some problems, and we had a very good, well-balanced team, the youngest in the league, an experienced coach in Felix Magath, and two machines up front in Džeko and Grafite."

Read our interview with Grafite here

That trio became legendary. Why did the chemistry between the three of you work so perfectly?

"Good question. If you have quality players, they understand each other on the pitch, and that was the main thing. The atmosphere in the team was very good, which is also important. Off the pitch we were all very close, and you could see that harmony in the games."

You registered 20 Bundesliga assists that season. Were you playing the best football of your career?

"Yes, I would say so. When you see the statistics, and the success with the Bundesliga title at the end, it was the best season."

How was it to work with Felix Magath? He had a reputation for being extremely tough.

"He was very tough. Before I moved there, a lot of players told me it was very hard, a lot of running, a lot of discipline. But until you experience it yourself, you cannot imagine it."

Wolfsburg then played in the Champions League. How did the club adapt to Europe's biggest stage?

"We had Manchester United, Beşiktaş and CSKA Moscow, a strong group. We picked up seven points quickly, and in the last two games we needed only one point to qualify, but we missed it. We expected to go through. As a young team in their first Champions League it was a new challenge, a new experience. We finished third, dropped into the Europa League and lost to Fulham, but I think we did quite well for a first time."

Wolfsburg have now been relegated to the second division. As someone who lived through the golden era, what has gone wrong this season?

"If a team with that quality and that budget goes down to the second division, a lot of things have gone wrong. I am not on the inside, so I cannot speak about the details, but when I see the quality of each player, something clearly went wrong. They were not a team on the pitch, and that was the biggest problem. With the quality they have, they should never have been in that position. I hope they learn from their mistakes, make a fresh start in the second division, and I wish them the best."

You played for Nürnberg, Bochum and Wolfsburg, all traditional Bundesliga clubs that are no longer in the top flight. Why do so many of these clubs end up in trouble?

"That is a good question. There are a lot of teams in that situation, like Bremen, Stuttgart, Hamburg and Schalke, who got into big trouble after a few years. I think they had quite expensive squads, and if you don't qualify for the Champions League for one or two years, you get into trouble. You have to sell your good players and buy new ones, and if you make mistakes in the market, the problems start. The other clubs are working well too, sometimes with better budgets, so it is difficult."

Bayern and the players catching his eye

You came through the Bayern Munich academy. How do you remember that period, and could you have earned a real chance there if you had stayed?

"First of all, I was thankful to be at the biggest club in Germany, one of the biggest in Europe, where I learned a lot in the youth academy. At one point, around 21 or 22, I was ready to play more regularly, and I didn't see the chance to play every week at Bayern, with players like Ballack, Deisler and Scholl ahead of me. So I decided in December to move to Bochum. Then in March they sacked Ottmar Hitzfeld and Magath came in, and I worked very well with him later. Maybe if I had stayed, Magath would have given me a chance, but you never know."

Did Bayern ever try to bring you back after your strong seasons at Nürnberg, Bochum and Wolfsburg?

"There was no concrete offer, but we spoke about it when I was at Wolfsburg. Nothing concrete, though."

What has impressed you most about Bayern under Vincent Kompany?

"He was maybe the sixth or seventh choice, because nobody wanted the job. He speaks the language of the players, he is very communicative, he understands them. He was a big player at the highest level, so he knows how they feel and how they think, and he can manage a squad of that quality very well."

Michael Olise has had an outstanding season. Do you believe he has the potential to become a future Ballon d'Or winner?

"Of course. Over the last year or two he has played fantastically. I would say he is maybe the most important attacking player at Bayern, alongside Harry Kane. He came from Crystal Palace, not one of the biggest English clubs, so it was lucky for Bayern that none of the bigger clubs signed him. At the moment he is one of the best wingers in the world."

Galatasaray, China and what comes next

Your spell at Galatasaray was not the best of your career. What went wrong there?

"Turkey is specific and difficult. I signed on the last day of the transfer window, so it was complicated. They had already gone out of the Champions League stage and lost their first two league games. We then had a few wins in a row, but I got suspended, because I used chewing gum during a game. They said I had to apologise to the coach, and I didn't see a reason to apologise. Sometimes in football things go like that."

You later moved to China when the Super League was attracting big names. Why did that league fall away?

"I really don't know. It was a few years after I left that they cut the budgets. It must have come from the government, that they decided not to invest so much anymore. Maybe it was connected to not reaching a World Cup, I don't know. But at the time the Chinese league was very attractive for good players, and I had three really good years there."

You played at the highest level, at a World Cup and in the Bundesliga. What are your football dreams now?

"My dreams now are in a new position, as a director, as a president. I want the biggest success, to win trophies and build a new team. As I said, we are looking to build new training facilities and a new stadium. The targets are the same, but everything is very different from being a player."