| Esmir Bajraktarević | |
| Birth Date: | 10 March 2005 |
| Birth Place: | Appleton, Wisconsin, United States |
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in[1] |
| Position: | Winger |
| Currentclub: | New England Revolution |
| Clubnumber: | 47 |
| Youthclubs1: | SC Wave |
| Youthyears2: | 2019–2020 |
| Youthclubs2: | Chicago Fire |
| Youthyears3: | 2020–2021 |
| Youthclubs3: | SC Wave |
| Youthyears4: | 2021 |
| Youthclubs4: | New England Revolution |
| Years1: | 2021–2023 |
| Clubs1: | New England Revolution II |
| Caps1: | 36 |
| Goals1: | 7 |
| Years2: | 2022– |
| Clubs2: | New England Revolution |
| Caps2: | 45 |
| Goals2: | 3 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2022 |
| Nationalteam1: | United States U19 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2023–2024 |
| Nationalteam2: | United States U23 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 6 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2024 |
| Nationalteam3: | United States |
| Nationalcaps3: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2024– |
| Nationalteam4: | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Nationalcaps4: | 6 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 19 October 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 19 November 2024 |
Esmir Bajraktarević (pronounced as /bs/; 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.
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.
Bajraktarević 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]
After 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]
Born in the United States, Bajraktarević is of Bosnian descent; his family is from Srebrenica.[10]
| 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 | 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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| 2024 | Major League Soccer | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 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 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | ||||
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | ||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||||
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 6 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 7 | 0 | ||