The Setbacks That Shaped Morocco’s Ismael Saibari

Ismael Saibari underlined his growing importance to Morocco with a goal against Brazil at New York New Jersey Stadium, helping his side secure a 1-1 draw in their opening Group C match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Today, Saibari is regarded as one of the most valuable players in the Moroccan squad. Yet his rise to the top came only after a series of setbacks that might have derailed a less determined player.
The 25-year-old moved to Belgium with his family when he was just six years old and began his football journey there. His talent earned him opportunities with two of the country’s most prestigious academies, Anderlecht and Genk, but neither experience ended as he had hoped.
Speaking to Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen, Saibari recalled his difficult departure from Anderlecht.
“I was playing for Beerschot, but it went bankrupt and I chose Anderlecht, I played there for two years until, a day before the start of the season, they told me I could leave. They thought I was too overweight.” He said.
Suddenly without a club at the age of 14, Saibari joined the youth setup at Mechelen, where his performances attracted the attention of Genk. He spent three seasons with the club before facing another disappointment.
After three seasons at Genk, Saibari was released after failing to convince the club’s first-team coaches of his potential. He later suggested he might have remained at the club had a reserve team such as the current Jong Genk been in place at the time. Once again, he found himself searching for a new opportunity. That chance arrived across the border in the Netherlands, where he signed for Jong PSV, the reserve side of PSV Eindhoven.
The move proved to be transformative.
After two impressive seasons with the club’s second team, Saibari earned promotion to PSV’s first team and quickly established himself as one of the Eredivisie’s most exciting young talents. Around the same time, he began receiving call-ups to Morocco’s Under-23 national team.
A year later, he made the step up to the senior side, committing his international future to Morocco despite being eligible to represent three different countries. Born in Spain, raised in Belgium and of Moroccan heritage, Saibari had options.
“I have three nationalities,” he said. “I have little connection with Spain. I feel like an Antwerpenaar and a Belgian, but above all a Moroccan. That is why I chose the Moroccan youth teams at a very young age. Roberto Martinez-" the Belgian national coach in 2018 - "tried to convince me to switch, but I followed my heart. Martinez understood that.”
Saibari’s decision has paid off for both player and country.
Now a three-time consecutive Dutch league champion with PSV Eindhoven, he has developed into one of the club’s most influential attacking players. Across the past three seasons, he has scored 42 goals and provided 29 assists, while also becoming an increasingly important figure for Morocco.
At international level, Saibari has made 29 appearances for the Atlas Lions and scored nine goals, continuing a remarkable journey that began with rejection and uncertainty but has culminated in success on both the domestic and international stage.