Fears of never walking to Morocco’s World Cup hero: the rise of Ismael Saibari | OneFootball

Tom Coopey, World Cup correspondent

Once told he may never be able to walk, Ismael Saibari is now writing his own script as Morocco’s main man for the World Cup.

Three goals in the campaign so far and the winning penalty against the Netherlands, Saibari has announced himself on the world stage and has etched his name into Moroccan football history.

Saibari became the first African player ever to score in all three group matches at a World Cup and has equalled the record for his country for goals scored in the competition alongside Youssef En-Nesyri, with three goals.

His incredible story makes the success that the 25-year-old is experiencing that little bit sweeter and special, from a transient childhood to now signing for one of Europe’s giants with the World Cup still ongoing.

Bayern Munich completed the signing of Ismael Saibari earlier this week, with the deal reportedly worth around $50 million.

Now arises a new adventure for Saibari in which you would expect him to relish with some of Europe’s hottest players surrounding him and his versatility in the attacking third.

From the suburbs of Antwerp to scoring at the World Cup, this is the story of Ismael Saibari.

Challenges during his youth

Being a footballer was never on the cards for Saibari at a young age, with Saibari born with a congenital foot deformity that posed the risk he may never be able to walk in his life.

Hope was never given up however, with a long and gruelling treatment process allowing him to have a specially designed orthopaedic device to help him stand and walk.

In an interview in 2024, Saibari said “My mother just prayed for me that I could have a normal life, it wasn’t even necessary to be a football player or something but thank god I now have normal feet and a normal healthy body”.

At the age of two, Saibari was able to take his first steps and from that point on there was only one thing destined for the Moroccan, and that was to start playing football like any other boy his age.

Born in Terrassa, Spain, he began playing for local youth teams, although his family were forced to move due to the financial crisis in 2007 amid fears his father would lose his job.

The Saibari family made the move to Belgium where he continued to flourish with a football, playing at KVC Willebroek and Beerschot.

It may appear the challenges were over for young Ismael Saibari, but that was far from the truth.

Despite success at Beershot, the club went bankrupt and when he eventually made the move to Anderlecht, after two seasons at the club he was released due to being overweight.

Resilience and overcoming challenges has made Saibari the player he is today and he used this as motivation to strive to become better.

Breaking through at PSV

His first professional contract came at Genk, playing in the youth leagues, but it was PSV Eindhoven that gave him his deserved opportunity when he was signed in 2020 for the reserves.

In his two seasons in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, he made a name for himself with nine goals and thirteen assists, succeeding under Ruud Van Nistelrooy which ultimately handed him the chance to join the first team in the 2022/23 season.

Saibari never looked back from there on in and his performance levels increased year by year for the Dutch side.

From only two assists in his 28 appearances in 22/23 to regular goals in the league and Champions League, Saibari set the stage alight.

Over the course of the last two seasons, he accumulated 57 goal contributions in 81 appearances.

With sensational statistics also comes a player who is enjoyable to watch, playing in a deeper role for PSV as opposed to the national team, with his ability to find pockets of space, physical presence and his agility making him a valuable asset to the team.

Morocco’s new World Cup hero

Saibari has been a bit of a surprise package for many this tournament and whilst Morocco fans would have known the quality of the 25-year-old, it has been the position he has taken up that has been the surprise.

Saibari featured in all of Morocco’s seven games during their AFCON triumph (after they were awarded an automatic win in the final), yet he was played on the left in a midfield three as well as at left wing.

Ayoub El Kaabi of Olympiacos has been the main man up front for Morocco for a number of years, yet Mohamed Ouahbi has opted to play Saibari at striker for this tournament and it’s fair to say it’s worked a treat.

With a delightful dink over Alisson in their opening game against Brazil, Saibari was key to earning a point against the South American side.

It took just 71 seconds for Saibari to find his second goal of the tournament when facing Scotland, with a stunning finish from a tight angle.

A feat that no Morocco player has achieved is scoring in consecutive World Cup games and Saibari went one better in the final group stage game with a composed finish in a thrilling 4-2 win over Haiti.

In a tense clash against the Netherlands, the game went all the way to penalties, with Saibari the hero for Morocco once more as he found the back of the net to win the shootout.

In one of the most heartwarming moments of the tournament so far, Saibari ran straight over to his mother to hug, portraying his gratitude and love for his family to be able to achieve a World Cup moment like this.

The journey continues for Morocco on Saturday when they face Canada with the Atlas Lions hoping to strive on to replicate success similar to their 2022 World Cup campaign.

A next chapter at Bayern Munich awaits

On Wednesday 1st July, Bayern Munich announced the signing of Ismael Saibari, with the attacker set to make the move after the tournament in a deal that contracts him to the club until 2031.

Bayern Munich are renowned for their abundance of quality in attack, with their forward line consisting of Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, Luis Días and Harry Kane.

The question is, where does Saibari fit in?

Bayern Munich played 55 games last season and will expect a similar number for the upcoming season meaning Saibari can be a brilliant rotation option for Vincent Kompany.

Having experience and scoring in the Champions League will also help Saibari’s case and he will likely be an important asset for Bayern in this competition.

His versatility makes him a flexible option for Kompany to use as he could replace any of Olise, Musiala or Kane should there be managing of minutes or injuries.

Saibari has experience playing as a left central midfielder, a left winger, attacking midfielder and striker so he is a dream player for Bayern to have at their disposal.

The exciting and intriguing journey of Saibari lives on and with his move to Bayern complete, this next step for him may be the next challenge he relishes.

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