Wisconsin's 'Milwaukee Messi' shines at World Cup, sport's biggest stage

APPLETON, Wis. - Beneath the Stars and Stripes of the USA Youth Soccer Complex, dreams grow just like the kids chasing them. Here, there are soccer and baseball fields in every direction. It wasn't that long ago the coach of the now-Wisconsin United FC, Shant Mesdjian, had to keep kicking a younger player off the fields, which were closed.

That player was Esmir Bajraktarević. Now, 21 years old and playing professionally for the Dutch club PSV, Esmir Bajraktarević is playing in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ representing his parents' home nation of Bosnia & Herzegovina. In doing so, he's helping put Wisconsin soccer on the map.

Best friend's recollection

What we know:

Liam Wasco still remembers how he came to meet his best friend. Their dads played against each other in a men's recreational soccer league in northeast Wisconsin. Not long after that, their sons' teams met for a match.

"We were in our team talk, and my dad came in and said, 'There's this really good Bosnian kid.' And at the time, you're just like, 'Oh, it's probably just like, I mean, a good player but nothing, no one that special,'" Wasco said. "And we played against him — he killed our whole team. He dribbled past everyone. We still won that game — I'll still brag about that — but he was by far better than everyone."

Wasco said their fathers struck up a conversation that night before the four of them shared dinner together at a local Red Robin.

Soon, Wasco and Bajraktarević became inseparable.

"Genuinely, we hung out every day. My house, his house. Like, I guess we were at the time each other's only friends, like that close, it felt like we were family," Wasco said.

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They spent a few years playing together in Appleton before both families decided the best way to get more competition, at the time, was playing in the Milwaukee area. 

Father's role

Dig deeper:

Wasco's father Kevin — who played soccer at Marquette University — would drive the boys 90 minutes south on a good day to practice three times a week with SC Waukesha. The club is now SC Wave, which is ran by the same team behind the Milwaukee Wave.

Wave Team President Shan Amini was their coach.

"[Esmir's] also one of those kids where as much as I'd like to say, the club created him. We didn't," Amini said. "His work ethic, he always had a ball at his feet. He wanted to win."

Weekend after weekend, Bajraktarević would score dazzling goals, humiliate players with skill moves, and leave families, even older players, in awe.

Amini said he encouraged Bajraktarević to play with creativity and showcase his skill, rather than bottling it into a system.

What they're saying:

"You always get nervous when a kid is 11 years old and says, 'I want to be a professional soccer player.' You saw glimpses where maybe that hope could come true. Our goal was to not get in his way and get him to where he wanted to be," Amini said.

What they're saying: Soon, the word got out about an exciting prospect in Wisconsin, which drew the attention of the New England Revolution. The Major League Soccer club had recently developed a player pathways program.

Its front office staff scanned the country for national team-level youth talent to bring to New England, where they'd live in team-provided housing and focus on the game year-round. It's akin to the youth academies European clubs have championed for decades.

Curt Onalfo, sporting director for the Revolution, signed Bajraktarević to the team's youth academy in August 2021. He was just 16 years old, but Onalfo said he knew Bajraktarević wouldn't be at that level for long.

"It was immediate. Like, we knew how talented he was, and that's why we recruited him," Onalfo said.

Signed to Revolution

What we know:

The Revolution signed Bajraktarević to its second team in a matter of weeks, then the first team within a year.

From there, his star just continued rising — earning him a transfer to PSV.

Around that same time, in 2024, Bajraktarević took a major risk regarding his international allegiance. He'd already represented the United States internationally in lower-level competitions, but he officially decided to switch his allegiance to Bosnia & Herzegovina — his parents' home country. That came as no surprise to Wasco and those who knew him best.

"I think from a young age, he always knew he wanted to play for Bosnia, which I think was the right decision too," Wasco said.

Decision made when he was young

The backstory:

In reality, the decision might have been made when Bajraktarević was just a young boy. His older brother, Osman, recorded video of Esmir dribbling in the family's backyard when he was just 5 years old. In the video, Esmir is wearing the jersey of Bosnian striker Edin Džeko. He grew up in the U.S., but Bosnia was home.

"His parents were in a war-torn country when his parents were coming of age in Bosnia. They were going through the war," Amini said.

The risk was only in opportunity. While Bajraktarević may not have earned playing time with the U.S. right away, Bajraktarević quickly found his way to Bosnia's starting 11. However, the Balkan nation had only played in one previous World Cup.

Fast-forward to March 31, Bosnia just had to beat Italy to clinch its second appearance. The team, still led by Džeko, took the three-time World Cup winners to penalty kicks. Then, up stepped Bajraktarević for a moment most kids can only dream of. If he scored, he'd send Bosnia to the World Cup.

What they're saying:

"It's Appleton, Wis., native Esmir Bajraktarević. The Milwaukee Messi. The New England Revolution Homegrown player, turned 21 two-and-a-half weeks ago, can send Bosnia & Herzegovina to the World Cup," said FOX Sports Play-By-Play Announcer John Strong. "And he does!"

Bajraktarević drilled a low-driven shot past Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who's widely considered one of the best in the world.

Flares lit in the stands as Bajraktarević ran toward the fans, his jersey in-hand, to celebrate. His goal was all anyone who knew him could talk about back in the U.S.

"Ironically, I was watching our academy play, and all of a sudden, my phone blew up," Onalfo said, laughing, "and I had all these messages coming."

"I was beyond happy for him. I was smiling for five straight days," Amini said. "I was so excited — because, again, I know the chance that he took. I know that if he missed it, they're not in the World Cup. I know what he's given up to do what he's doing. For him to get to be his home country's hero, and for his parents and for his family and all their relatives, I was... you couldn't even imagine how happy I was."

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Now, his game and his name are on the sport's biggest stage. And every time Bajraktarević touches the ball — it's a reminder to the world: Wisconsin can play.

"I just hope that he shows what he's capable of doing," Amini said.

And with a nickname like the 'Milwaukee Messi', maybe the world won't need a reminder anymore.

"From what I've heard, when he went to New England, they said he dribbled like Messi," Wasco said. "And they asked where he was from — so, he said Appleton, but no one really knows where Appleton is if you're not from Wisconsin. So, they just said Milwaukee, so Milwaukee Messi stuck."

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