Ismael Saibari
Footballer (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ismael Saibari (Moroccan Arabic: إسماعيل صيباري; born 28 January 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or a winger for Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven and the Morocco national team.
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Saibari with Morocco in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Jong PSV | 55 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020– | PSV Eindhoven | 89 | (28) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Morocco U20 | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Morocco U23 | 15 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Morocco | 26 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:02, 14 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 January 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.[1] 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.[2]
On August 19, 2023, Saibari netted his first goal for PSV in a 3–1 away win over Vitesse.[3] 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.[4][5] Having qualified for the Champions League, he made his first group stage appearance on September 20, starting against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.[6] He subsequently extended his contract with the club until 2028.[7] Later that year, on 29 November, he scored his first goal in the Champions League in a 3–2 away victory over Sevilla.[8]
In the 2023–24 season, Saibari began to have more playing time and helped the team conquered 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.[9] On 26 October 2025, he scored his first career hat-trick in a 3–2 away win over Feyenoord.[10]
International career
Born in Spain, Saibari is of Moroccan descent. He moved to Belgium at a young age. He is a youth international for Morocco.[11]
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,[12][13] where the Atlas Lions won their first title[14][15] and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[14][16]
On 11 December 2025, Saibari was called up to the Morocco squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations[17] Saibari made international news on 18 January 2026 when he was penalized with a three-match suspension, after he helped the ball boys remove the towels from behind the opposing goal in Morocco's final against Senegal.[18][19][20][21]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 14 March 2026[22]
| 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 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 7[d] | 3 | 1[c] | 0 | 33 | 16 | |
| Total | 89 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 36 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 138 | 39 | ||
| Career total | 144 | 37 | 9 | 2 | 36 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 193 | 48 | ||
- 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 18 January 2026[23]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 2023 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 13 | 4 | |
| 2026 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 26 | 7 | |
- Morocco score listed first, score column indicates score after each Saibari goal.[23]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 November 2024 | Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon |  Gabon | 5–1 | 5–1 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 18 November 2024 | Honor Stadium, Oujda, Morocco |  Lesotho | 7–0 | 7–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 21 March 2025 | Honor Stadium, Oujda, Morocco |  Niger | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 5 September 2025 | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco | Niger | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 2–0 | |||||
| 6 | 18 November 2025 | Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier, Morocco |  Uganda | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 9 January 2026 | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco |  Cameroon | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations |
Honours
PSV Eindhoven
- Eredivisie: 2023–24,[24] 2024–25[25]
- KNVB Cup: 2021–22,[26] 2022–23[27]
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2022,[28] 2023,[29] 2025[30]
Morocco U23
Morocco
Individual
- U-23 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2023[32]
- Eredivisie Team of the Month: November 2024,[33] April 2025[34]
Notes
- In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Saibari and the second or maternal family name is Ben El Basra.
