There was a time when Ismael Saibari went an entire season without scoring. Now, he can’t seem to miss for Morocco. Who is this 25-year-old who has scored all of his country’s goals at this World Cup? 1. He holds triple nationalities In 2001, Ismael Saibari was born in Terrasa, Spain, where his Moroccan parents moved to in the 1990s to find work. At six, the family moved Belgium, and he started his youth football career with smaller teams like KVC Willebroek-M and K Beerschot
VA. He made it to the bigger club Anderlecht but was released due to a dip in form. He had further stints with K.V. Mechelen and Genk before signing for PSV Eindhoven in 2020, rising from their second team to the first team. He held Spanish, Moroccan and Belgian nationalities and was contacted by Roberto Martinez to play for Belgium only to be rebuffed, with Ismael committing to Morocco and making his Atlas Lions debut in 2023. He said: “When you choose a national team,
it has to come from the heart. It shouldn’t be a strategic decision about where you’ll have more chances. You represent an entire country, so you must play with your heart.” 2. He joins an elite club Up till 2026, Egypt captain Mohamed Salah was the only African player to score in each of his first two World Cup appearances. Ismael has now matched the rare feat, and he has a good chance to go further and become the first African footballer to score in
each of his first three World Cup matches should he find the net again against Haiti on June 24. At the ongoing World Cup, he is one of only three players, along with Canada’s Cyle Larin and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior to have scored in each of the opening two matches. 3. Not always such a prolific finisher With his technical flair, the cultured right-footer initially operated as a playmaker or winger. Ismael was not confident in front of goal, and failed to score in 28
games for PSV in the 2022-23 season. However, he gradually built his scoring form over the next three league-winning seasons, culminating in this past term in which he registered 19 goals and nine assists in 37 games to be named the Eredivisie Player of the Year. This convinced Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi that Ismael is the central striker Morocco lacked, and he has been rewarded with goals in the 1-1 draw with Brazil and 1-0 win over Scotland. In all, he now has 11 international
goals in 32 appearances, four of which have come from his last four games. 4. He is already taken If Europe’s biggest clubs are interested in signing Saibari, they are already too late. The 1.85m player has been busy on and off the pitch, and reports indicated he completed his medical with German giants Bayern Munich in the United States and an official announcement of the estimated €55 million (S$82 million) deal is expected to be made in July. 5. He has a mischievous side
In the farcical African Cup of Nations final in January, Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi and Saibari tried to remove the pitch-side towel of Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. For the unsporting conduct, the Moroccan duo received suspensions from the Confederation of African Football matches, with Saibari also copping a fine. However, in March, Senegal, who had won 1-0 after extra time, were stripped of their title upon appeal because they had walked off during the match to protest against a penalty awarded to Morocco which was
missed by Brahim Diaz. As part of a successful appeal, Saibari’s fine was waived and his ban was reduced to one game. It was also reported that he had gone to Senegal’s team hotel to personally apologise to Mendy.
Ismael Saibari, Morocco, World Cup, Haiti, Bayern Munich, PSV Eindhoven, Eredivisie Player of the Year, Atlas Lions, Achraf Hakimi, Edouard Mendy, Roberto Martinez