Exclusive: Esmir Bajraktarevic Discusses International Future
"Yeah, I mean, obviously, I'm very proud to be Bosnian. Playing for the national team is definitely something that I've dreamed of since I was little."
Esmir Bajraktarevic has represented the United States internationally for his entire career so far but the winger could be making a switch to represent his parent’s homeland.
As detailed in a profile by
on The Blazing Musket, Bajraktarevic’s father and mother grew up in Bosnia. After war descended on their country in 1992.“Elmir and Emina spent two years on the run, ultimately landing in Switzerland,” Macomber wrote. “In 2001, they came to the United States as part of a refugee program. Four years later, Esmir, the youngest of three, was born in Wisconsin.”
The 19-year-old later described how the war affected his family.
“[The war] was pretty bad,” Bajraktarevic told The Blazing Musket. “My parents lost a good amount of family members. It's very tragic. It is something that I'll never forget, obviously. Srebrenica is something that I'll never forget. It's a part of me and who I am. It's in my blood. It's something that is a big part of me.”
But on the international level, Bajraktarevic has featured once debuting against Slovenia on January 20. With the U.S. Olympic squad, Bajraktarević has made six appearances with one goal scored along with making the final pre-Olympic squad. Bajraktarevic also participated in a U-20 January Camp, where he was the youngest member of the roster and won the Slovenia Nations Cup with the U-19 team in September 2022, recording one goal and one assist in the tournament.
While the squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris has yet to be announced, there are reports that Bajraktarevic could be making a switch. America Soccer Now’s Brian Sciaretta reported that rumors were flying that Bajraktarevic was about to make the switch to represent Bosnia.
In an exclusive interview with The Blazing Musket after New England’s 2-1 win over Atlanta United, Bajraktarevic discussed his international future.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously, I'm very proud to be Bosnian,” Bajraktarevic told TBM. Playing for the national team is definitely something that I've dreamed of since I was little. I mean, I'm not ready to announce anything or to say much right now but yeah, I'm just proud to be a Bosnian it'd be great."
Bajraktarevic later added that he isn’t worried about his potential inclusion or exclusion from the Olympic roster after appearing in the Pre-Olympic roster.
“Yeah, no, for me I'm not really worried about it,” he said. “To be honest, I'm just focusing on the club right now. We have a lot of games to win, a lot of important points to get so what happens happens but to be honest, right now, I'm not really thinking about it.”
The U.S. Olympic roster announcement is soon to come as U.S. Soccer has an event planned on July 8 that will feature U.S. Olympic Team players from both the men’s and women’s sides. Whether Bajraktarevic lands on the roster is sure to have an impact on where his international allegiance lies.