Esmir Bajraktarević (pronounced [ěsmir bajraktâːreʋitɕ]; born 10 March 2005) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club New England Revolution. Born in the United States, he plays for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 March 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Appleton, Wisconsin, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | New England Revolution | ||
| Number | 47 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| SC Wave | |||
| 2019–2020 | Chicago Fire | ||
| 2020–2021 | SC Wave | ||
| 2021 | New England Revolution | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | New England Revolution II | 36 | (7) |
| 2022– | New England Revolution | 45 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | United States U19 | 3 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | United States U23 | 6 | (1) |
| 2024 | United States | 1 | (0) |
| 2024– | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 October 2024 | |||
Bajraktarević started his professional career at New England Revolution, playing first in its reserve team.
A former American youth international, Bajraktarević also made his senior international debut for the United States, before switching his allegiance to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024.
Club career
editNew England Revolution
editBajraktarević started playing football at a local club SC Wave, before joining Chicago Fire's youth setup in 2019. The following year, he returned to SC Wave. A year later, he switched to New England Revolution's youth academy. In May 2022, he signed his first professional contract with the team. He made his professional debut playing for New England Revolution's reserve squad against Tormenta on 22 August 2021 at the age of 16. On 11 September, he scored his first professional goal against North Carolina.[2]
Bajraktarević made his first-team debut in a U.S. Open Cup game against New York City on 26 May 2022 at the age of 17. Three months later, he made his league debut against Toronto.[3] On 8 August 2023, he scored his first goal for the side in a Leagues Cup match against Querétaro.[4] Ten months later, he scored his first league goal for the club in a triumph over Nashville.[5]
International career
editAfter representing the United States at various youth levels, Bajraktarević made his senior international debut in a friendly game against Slovenia on 20 January 2024. However, in July, he decided that he would play for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the future.[6]
In August, his request to change sports citizenship from American to Bosnian was approved by FIFA.[7] Later that month, he received his first senior call-up, for 2024–25 UEFA Nations League games against the Netherlands and Hungary.[8] He debuted against the former on 7 September.[9]
Personal life
editBorn in the United States, Bajraktarević is of Bosnian descent; his family is from Srebrenica.[10]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 19 October 2024[11]
| Club | Season | League | U.S. Open Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| New England Revolution II | 2021 | USL League One | 11 | 1 | – | – | – | 11 | 1 | |||
| 2022 | MLS Next Pro | 17 | 0 | – | – | – | 17 | 0 | ||||
| 2023 | MLS Next Pro | 8 | 6 | – | – | 1[a] | 2 | 9 | 8 | |||
| Total | 36 | 7 | – | – | 1 | 2 | 37 | 9 | ||||
| New England Revolution | 2022 | Major League Soccer | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | Major League Soccer | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[b] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
| 2024 | Major League Soccer | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8[c] | 1 | – | 37 | 4 | ||
| Total | 45 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 81 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 94 | 14 | ||
- ^ Appearance in MLS Next Pro Playoffs
- ^ Appearance in Leagues Cup
- ^ Six appearances, one goal in CONCACAF Champions Cup; two appearances in Leagues Cup
International
edit- As of match played 14 October 2024[12]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | |||
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | |||
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
| Career total | 5 | 0 | |
References
edit- ^ "Esmir Bajraktarevic". revolutionsoccer.net. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "New England Revolution sign 17-year-old Esmir Bajraktarević as Homegrown Player". soccerwire.com. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ "The Story of Esmir Bajraktarevic, A Rising Star In American Soccer". theblazingmusket.com. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Esmir Bajraktarevic nets first goal, but Revolution fall in PKs during Leagues Cup". masslive.com. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Esmir Bajraktarevic scores first goal to help Revolution snap Nashville's shutout streak". masslive.com. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Esmir Bajraktarević poslao jasnu poruku Amerikancima: Jako sam ponosan što sam Bosanac". faktor.ba (in Bosnian). 4 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "Barbarez: Đakovac i Bajraktarević bi trebali donijeti novu dinamiku u reprezentaciji BiH". avaz.ba (in Bosnian). 16 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "Barbarez je promijenio spisak u odnosu na Englesku i Italiju, na raspolaganju je sedam novih imena". reprezentacija.ba (in Bosnian). 16 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Slabašna BiH primila pet golova od Nizozemske, Bajraktarević jedini svijetla tačka". fokus.ba (in Bosnian). 7 September 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "INTERVJU/ Bosansko čudo iz SAD-a: Moji su iz Srebrenice, u meni je BiH, a Džeku gledam od pete godine".
- ^ "E. Bajraktarević". soccerway.com. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Esmir Bajraktarević". eu-football.info. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
External links
edit- Esmir Bajraktarević at National-Football-Teams.com
- Esmir Bajraktarević – UEFA competition record (archive)