World Cup Roundup: 'Milwaukee Messi' Helps Bosnia & Herzegovina Stun Italy

Euphoria for Bosnia and Herzegovina and their Wisconsin-born hero. Despair for Italy who'll now have to watch the World Cup from home yet again. Tuesday's FIFA World Cup qualifiers had plenty of exciting moments. 

Stars can come from all shapes and sizes during the FIFA World Cup. This one is a Bosnian kid of American descent — from Wisconsin. Esmir Bajraktarevic mustered enough power that Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's left paw couldn't prevent his shot from reaching the back of the net. 

The 21-year-old from Appleton, Wisconsin, scored the decisive penalty, earning himself the nickname of "Milwaukee Messi" on as he sent Bosnia to the FIFA World Cup. 

How did a kid from the Midwest end up representing Bosnia & Herzegovina and staring down one of the best keepers in the game with a World Cup spot on the line?

(Photo by Samir Jordamovic/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Bajraktarevic spent time in the U.S. men's national team, including one appearance under former USA coach Gregg Berhalter in January 2024. But Bajraktarevic, a former New England Revolution winger who now plays at Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, made the switch to represent the native country of his parents. 

"I’m very proud of where I’m from," Bajraktarevic told the Blazing Musket about making the switch to Bosnia. "It means a lot to me. It’s how I was raised. I was raised in a Bosnian culture, so it’s everything."

He's now represented Bosnia in 14 matches and surely will be part of the 26-man squad that will take in the same group as Canada, Switzerland and Qatar. 

"I’m very proud every time I play for Bosnia," he told ESPN Netherlands in February. "It’s a different feeling. It’s where my parents come from, and it’s what I’ve always thought of myself as, as a