Ismael Saibari Height, Age, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Birth Name	Ismael Saibari Ben El Basra
Profession	Footballer
Famous for	His historic, record-breaking breakout performance for Morocco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	6' 1" (185 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Football
Debut	• International- In September 2023 for Morocco in an international friendly match • Club- On 1 November 2020 for PSV Eindhoven against ADO Den Haag in the Eredivise
Club	• Santa Terrassa Club Deportivo Youth Academy (2005–2007) • K Beerschot VA Youth Academy (2009–2013) • RSC Anderlecht Youth Academy (2013–2015) • K.V. Mechelen Youth Academy (2015–2017) • KRC Genk Youth Academy (2017–2020) • PSV Youth Academy (2020) • Jong PSV (2020–2023) • PSV Eindhoven (2020–Present)
Jersey Number	# 34 (PSV Eindhoven) #11 (Morocco)
Position	• Attacking Midfielder (AM) • Winger (RW/LW) • Central Midfielder (CM • Forward
Coach/Mentor	• Peter Bosz • Ruud van Nistelrooy • Walid Regragui
Agent	HCM Sports Management
Records (main ones)	• Helped Morocco Under-23 win their first-ever Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations title in 2023 • Scored twice against Rangers in the UEFA Champions League play-off round in 2023 and won the Man of the Match award • Became one of PSV Eindhoven's key players during multiple Eredivisie title-winning seasons • Scored his first senior career hat-trick against Feyenoord in October 2025 • Won the Eredivisie Player of the Year award after an outstanding 2025-26 season • Became the first Moroccan player to score in consecutive FIFA World Cup matches in 2026 • Became only the second African player after Mohamed Salah to score in each of his first two FIFA World Cup appearances • Scored the fastest goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after scoring against Scotland within 71 seconds • Won the Player of the Match award during Morocco's FIFA world Cup match against Scotland
Awards, Honours, Achievements	2023 • Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament 2024 • Eredivisie Team of the Month- November 2024 2025 • Eredivisie Team of the Month- April 2025 2026 • Eredivisie Player of the Year / Eredivisie Player of the Season (2025–26) • ESPN Eredivisie Award – Best Player of the Season • VoetbalPrimeur (VP) Player of the Season Award • Eredivisie Player of the Month (awarded by Voetbal International) – February 2026
Personal Life
Date of Birth	28 January 2001 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2026)	25 Years
Birthplace	Terrassa, Spain
Zodiac sign	Aquarius
Nationality	• Moroccan • Spanish • Belgian
Hometown	Terrassa, Spain
Religion	Islam
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Parents	Father- Hassan
Siblings	Brother(s)- 2 (older) • Akram Saibari • Adam Saibari

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ismael Saibari

• Ismael Saibari was born in Terrassa, Spain.

• He is of Moroccan descent and holds triple Moroccan, Spanish, and Belgian citizenship.

• When he was a child, his family moved to Belgium from Spain and spent most of his upbringing there.

• Ismael began his football journey at Santa Terrassa, before joining any Belgian youth academies.
  

  A picture of Ismael Saibari, while playing in his junior professional football career

• Some of the youth football academies he joined in Spain and Belgium were K Beerschot VA, Anderlecht, K.V. Mechelen and Genk.

• In July 2020, Ismael moved to Netherlands to join PSV Eindhoven and signed a three-year contract with them.
  

  Ismael Saibari (left) when he was included in PSV Eindhoven squad

• He initially played for Jong OSV before gradually earning a place in PSV’s senior team.

• His coach, Ruud van Nistelrooy played an important role in helping him move into PSV’s first team squad.

• In an interview, Saibari revealed that he was eligible to play internationally for Spain and Belgium; however, he chose Morocco because of his emotional connection and family roots.

• Saibari represented Morocco internationally at the under-15, under-16, and under-20 levels.

• In November 2020, Saibari made his senior debut for PSV in the Eredivisie as a substitute for Mario Götze in a 4–0 victory over ADO Den Haag.

• In 2022, before the 2022 World Cup, former Belgium’s coach, Roberto Martinez tried to convince Saibari to join the Belgian national team; however, he denied his offer and said,

I thought it was fantastic. But I told him I had chosen Morocco.”

• In June 2023, Ismael Saibari became part of the final squad of the Morocco under-23 national team for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations. The event was hosted by Morocco itself.

• On 19 August 2023, Saibari scored his first goal for PSV in a 3-1 away win over Vitesse, a Dutch football club.

• On 30 August 2023, he won the Man of the Match award for his performance against Rangers, a Scottish football club. He scored two goals in the match.

• On 20 September 2023, Ismael made his first Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champion League group-stage appearance against Arsenal, a Islington, North London based football club, at the Emirates Stadium.

• During that time, he also extended his contract PSV until 2028.

• During the 2023-24 season, he received more playing time and helped PSV win the Eredivisie title by playing 31 matches and scoring 8 goals.

• During the 2024-25 season, Ismael became a regular starter for PSV and helped the team retain its Eredivisie title.
  

  Ismael Saibari posing with PSV’s Eredivisie title trophy

• In the 2024-25 season, he played 44 matches and recorded 15 goals along with 13 assists across all matches.

• On 26 October 2025, Saibari scored his first hat-trick in his senior career in a 3-2 away victory against Feyenoord, Netherland based football club.

• During the 2025-26 season, PSV won another Eredivisie title, where Saibari contributed 15 goals and 8 assists. He was also named Eredivisie Player of the Year for his outstanding performance.

• On 11 December 2025, Saibari was selected for Morocco’s squad for the 2025 Africa Cup Nations.

• On 18 January 2026, he came international news after he was penalized with a three-match suspension and $100,000 fine for unsporting conduct during the Africa Cup of Nations final match against Senegal.

• In the match he and his teammate Achraf Hakimi, blocked attempts to provide Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy a towel for his gloves during the rainy condition.

• On 26 May 2026, Ismael was included in Morocco’s 26 player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

• On 13 June 2026, Saibari scored his first FIFA World Cup goal in Morocco’s opening 1-1 draw against Brazil.

• On 18 June 2026, he scored the winning goal in Morocco’s 1–0 win over Scotland, and became the second African player after Mohamed Salah to score in his first two World Cup matches.

• Ismael also became Morocco’s fastest World Cup goal scorer after scoring the goal within 71 seconds.

• On 24 June 2026, Saibari scored his third FIFA World Cup goal against Haiti and became the first African player to score in each of his team’s first three FIFA World Cup matches.

• Ismael Saibari also became the only second African player after Papa Bouba Diop in 2002, to score three goals in a single FIFA Worl Cup tournament.