According to DPA, Dzeko said he might have retired if Schalke had not contacted him again this summer.

Dzeko is looking forward to reuniting with former Manchester City teammate Kompany. In an interview with "Süddeutsche Zeitung", he said: "What Kompany has achieved is incredible. He has always been a captain and a leader, so this doesn't surprise me."

From 2011 to 2015, the two played together at Manchester City and won two Premier League titles together. Dzeko said: "We always sat at the back of the bus together: Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Kolarov and me. We listened to music and always had a good time, except Kompany was always on his laptop."

Dzeko recalled: "We asked him: 'What are you doing, what are you learning?' Later, after he took Burnley up, I sent him a message saying: 'Brother, now I understand...'"

Schalke's season started with a 0-3 loss to Augsburg, and expectations for the team to get points against Bayern Munich are not high. Dzeko said: "That's good. Schalke is a big club, but after three years in the 2. Bundesliga, we first need to re-establish ourselves. Bayern Munich is on another level, we know that, and the fans know that."

The 40-year-old Dzeko said he is looking forward to another Bundesliga season. He said: "This summer I definitely thought about retiring. If Schalke hadn't come to me again, I might be sitting on the beach now, although there were two or three other offers from Europe at the time."

Dzeko said that Schalke's appreciation for him made him feel a little proud: "I don't want to go to another club and keep moving teams. To be able to play in the Bundesliga again in front of these fans and help the team stay in the top league, I don't want to miss this opportunity. I can't say no, and it's not too late to go to the beach later."

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