Last week, Bosnia and Herzegovina secured its spot in the 2026 World Cup with a dramatic win over Italy in the UEFA play-in tournament. The game, which came down to a penalty shootout, ended on a thrilling made penalty from an unlikely hero: 21-year-old American-born forward Esmir Bajraktarević.
Bajraktarević, who was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin to Bosnian parents, successfully slipped the ball past Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the goal to give Bosnia a 1(4)-1(1) win in the shootout.
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After the penalty, Bajraktarević quickly tore off his jersey and sprinted for the sideline, holding the shirt up for the roaring crowd as he was mobbed by his teammates.
The shootout win sends Bosnia to its second World Cup, following following an appearance in Brazil in 2014. (Prior to 1990, Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Yugoslavian national team.)
As a United States citizen, Bajraktarević initially started playing for the U.S. on the youth international level, putting up caps with the U-19 and U-23 national teams. The forward started his professional career with the New England Revolution before moving to play for Dutch club PSV last year.
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Bajraktarević had one U.S. men’s national team, getting called up for a friendly against Slovenia in January 2024 under Gregg Berhalter. The USMNT lost the game 1-0, with Bajraktarević entering the game in the 63rd minute.
But later that year, Bajraktarević opted to make his one-time international switch and represent Bosnia — a change that has paid off big.
(Fox Sports, by the way, claims that Bajraktarević has earned the nickname “Milwaukee Messi” after his penalty goal — though Appleton is significantly closer to Green Bay than to Milwaukee.)
Bajraktarević is not the only member of the Bosnian team with players born in other countries. Forward Kerim Alajbegović, who scored Bosnia’s third PK goal of the shootout, was born in Germany, as was midfielder Dženis Burnić; backup goalkeeper Osman Hadžikić is Austrian by birth, while midfielder Armin Gigović was born in Switzerland. All opted to represent Bosnia at an international level.
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In February, Bajraktarević told ESPN Netherlands in an interview that he was “very proud” to play for Bosnia.
“It’s a different feeling. It’s where my parents come from, and it’s what I’ve always of myself as, as a Bosnian,” Bajraktarević said. “Every time you’re on the field it’s just like, you would do anything to win the game for the team. It’s like that every time I play, but for Bosnia, it’s your own people. It’s obviously a smaller country so everything kind of feels like a family … I had to play for Bosnia at the end of the day.”
Now, Bajraktarević will be back stateside with the Bosnian team, playing in Toronto, L.A. and Seattle as part of Group B.
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