Ismael Saibari
Spanish-born Moroccan footballer (born 2001)
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Ismael Saibari (Berber languages: ⵉⵙⵎⴰⴻⵍ ⵙⴰⵉⴱⴰⵔⵉ, Moroccan Arabic: إسماعيل صيباري; born 28 January 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a attacking midfielder or forward for Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven. Born in Spain, he plays for the Morocco national team.[1]
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Saibari with Morocco in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Ismael Saibari Ben El Basra[note 1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 28 January 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Terrassa, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | PSV Eindhoven | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Santa Terrassa CD | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | KVC Willebroek-M | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2013 | K Beerschot VA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Anderlecht | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | K.V. Mechelen | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Genk | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | PSV Eindhoven | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Jong PSV | 55 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020– | PSV Eindhoven | 108 | (29) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Morocco U20 | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Morocco U23 | 15 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Morocco | 31 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:30, 17 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13 June 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Club career
PSV Eindhoven
Saibari began his youth career in Spain and Belgium, spending time at K Beerschot VA, Anderlecht, K.V. Mechelen and Genk, before moving to the Netherlands to join PSV Eindhoven on 29 July 2020, signing a three-year contract.[2] He initially featured for Jong PSV in the Eerste Divisie, and made his senior debut for PSV in the Eredivisie on 1 November that year, coming on as a substitute for Mario Götze in a 4–0 victory over ADO Den Haag.[3]
On August 19, 2023, Saibari netted his first goal for PSV in a 3–1 away win over Vitesse.[4] Later that month, on August 30, he scored twice in a 5–1 win over Rangers in the Champions League play-off round, securing a spot in the competition's group stage and earning Man of the Match honors.[5][6] Having qualified for the Champions League, he made his first group stage appearance on September 20, starting against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.[7] He subsequently extended his contract with the club until 2028.[8] Later that year, on 29 November, he scored his first goal in the Champions League in a 3–2 away victory over Sevilla.[9]
In the 2023–24 season, Saibari began to have more playing time and helped the team win the 2023–24 Eredivisie, playing in 31 matches and scoring 8 goals. In the following season, he became a regular starter and was champion of the 2024–25 Eredivisie, playing in 44 matches and having excellent numbers, with 15 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.[10] On 26 October 2025, he scored his first career hat-trick in a 3–2 away win over Feyenoord.[11] PSV Eindhoven eventually retained the league title in the 2025–26 Eredivisie season, with Saibari being named Player of the Year with 15 goals and 8 assists.[12]
International career
Born in Spain, Saibari is of Moroccan descent. He moved to Belgium at a young age. He was a youth international for Morocco.[13]
In June 2023, he was included in the final squad of the under-23 national team for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco itself,[14][15] where the Atlas Lions won their first title[16][17] and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[16][18]
On 11 December 2025, Saibari was called up to the Morocco squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations[19] Ismael Saibari began his journey with the Moroccan national team at a young age, joining the youth ranks and representing Morocco at the under-15, under-16, and under-20 levels. Before the 2022 World Cup, Morocco's coach, Walid Regragui, indicated that he had contacted Saibari and other players, telling them they needed to fight for regular starting positions at their clubs to secure their place in the national team.
During this period, Belgium's coach, Roberto Martinez, contacted Saibari to persuade him to join the Belgian national team for the 2022 World Cup. Saibari commented on this, saying, "I thought it was fantastic. But I told him I had chosen Morocco." It's worth noting that Martinez is now the current coach of the Portuguese national team.[20][21]
On 26 May 2026, Saibari was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[22] He scored the opening goal for Morocco in the tournament in a 1–1 draw against Brazil.[23]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 17 May 2026[24]
| Club | Season | League | KNVB Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jong PSV | 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 24 | 3 | — | — | — | 24 | 3 | |||
| 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 26 | 5 | — | — | — | 26 | 5 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 55 | 9 | — | — | — | 55 | 9 | |||||
| PSV Eindhoven | 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Eredivisie | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11[d] | 3 | 1[c] | 0 | 31 | 8 | |
| 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 29 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 10[d] | 3 | 1[c] | 0 | 44 | 15 | |
| 2025–26 | Eredivisie | 27 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 7[d] | 3 | 1[c] | 0 | 37 | 19 | |
| Total | 93 | 31 | 9 | 2 | 36 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 142 | 42 | ||
| Career total | 148 | 40 | 9 | 2 | 36 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 197 | 51 | ||
- Appearance in UEFA Europa League
- Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 13 June 2026[25]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 2023 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 13 | 4 | |
| 2026 | 9 | 4 | |
| Total | 31 | 10 | |
- Morocco score listed first, score column indicates score after each Saibari goal.[25]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 November 2024 | Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon | 8 |  Gabon | 5–1 | 5–1 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 18 November 2024 | Honor Stadium, Oujda, Morocco | 9 |  Lesotho | 7–0 | 7–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 21 March 2025 | Honor Stadium, Oujda, Morocco | 10 |  Niger | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 5 September 2025 | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco | 14 | Niger | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 6 | 18 November 2025 | Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier, Morocco | 19 |  Uganda | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 9 January 2026 | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco | 24 |  Cameroon | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 8 | 2 June 2026 | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco | 29 |  Madagascar | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 10 | 13 June 2026 | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States | 31 |  Brazil | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
Honours
PSV Eindhoven
- Eredivisie: 2023–24,[26] 2024–25,[27] 2025–26[28]
- KNVB Cup: 2021–22,[29] 2022–23[30]
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2022,[31] 2023,[32] 2025[33]
Morocco U23
Morocco
Individual
- Eredivisie Player of the Year: 2025–26[35]
- Eredivisie Team of the Month: November 2024,[36] April 2025,[37] May 2025,[38] October 2025[39]
- U-23 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2023[40]
Notes
- In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Saibari and the second or maternal family name is Ben El Basra.
