🐣 Wonderkid of the week: Esmir Bajraktarevic 🇧🇦
🐣 Wonderkid of the week: Esmir Bajraktarevic 🇧🇦 As every week, OneFootball shines the spotlight on a young talent on the rise. This time, the focus is on one of Italy’s tormentors. His left foot couldn’t have escaped your notice — and for good reason, he has already become one of the faces of the next World Cup.
Deployed on the right wing in Bosnia’s last two playoff matches, Esmir Bajraktarevic announced himself to the football world. Technically gifted and very skillful one-on-one, the 21-year-old winger caused Federico Di Marco problems all game long. The child of a couple fleeing the Srebrenica genocide, Bajraktarevic was born in the United States, in the state of Wisconsin.
He also came through all the ranks in the land of Uncle Sam, notably with the New England Revolution, where he very quickly earned a place in the starting XI. Despite modest statistical output, he still produced a few standout moments in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, enough to catch the eye of PSV Eindhoven. He therefore joined the Dutch club in January 2025 and first went through an adaptation period, with only four matches in his first half-season.
Used much more this season, Bajraktarevic has mainly been coming off the bench under Peter Bosz and still needs to find his statistical rhythm. A Bosnia international since September 2024, the young winger could also have chosen to represent the United States. It is a choice he probably does not regret much today, given that he had the privilege of scoring the penalty that sent Bosnia-Herzegovina to the World Cup.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.