Different paths, same representation and same roots. Zinedin Smajlović and Esmir Bajraktarević drank coffee together today, and their meeting carries special symbolism, since the young representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina are connected by Srebrenica.
Smajlović was born in Sweden, Bajraktarević in the United States, but both have family roots in Srebrenica. They grew up far from Bosnia and Herzegovina and developed their football skills in different environments, only to be united by the Dragons’ jersey in the end.
For Bajraktarević, Srebrenica is an important part of the family story. His parents survived the fall of Srebrenica in 1995, while members of his family were killed in the genocide. He spoke about his origin and connection with Bosnia and Herzegovina even after he decided to build his national team career in the Dragons jersey.
Even Smajlović, who went through the Swedish football system, did not hide how much his roots mean to him. After the national team call, he said that he was from Srebrenica and that for him there was no dilemma as to which national team he would represent.
Today, they are teammates in the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. One came to Zmaje from America, the other from Sweden, and they were joined by Bosnia and Herzegovina and Srebrenica.
That’s why today’s shared coffee was more than just a meeting between two national team members. The meeting of two young Dragons whose life stories began far from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but whose roots lead to the same place – Srebrenica, Federalna writes.
