A 21-year-old from Appleton, Wisconsin, is about to walk onto a World Cup pitch and play against the United States. Not for the United States. Against them.
Esmir Bajraktarevic, nicknamed the “Milwaukee Messi” during his youth soccer days, chose to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
From Wisconsin youth leagues to World Cup hero
Bajraktarevic was born on March 10, 2005, in Appleton, Wisconsin. His parents are Bosnian refugees, survivors of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. He grew up American in every practical sense, playing through US youth systems and eventually earning a senior cap for the US Men’s National Team in January 2024 against Slovenia.
Then, in July 2024, he switched his national allegiance to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
