Rabat – The attacking midfielder, Ismael Saibari, born in Spain, raised in Belgium, and developed his skills in the Netherlands, was named the Eredivisie Player of the Season, thanks to a remarkable 2025/2026 campaign with PSV Eindhoven.
At 25 years old, the Moroccan international is attracting interest from several major clubs, including Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming, Saibari is asserting himself as the Atlas Lions’ most-in-form player, set to enter the tournament as one of the leading breakout candidates.
From Spain to Belgium
Saibari was born in Terrassa, near Barcelona, to parents originally from Ksar El Kebir in northern Morocco, who had moved to Spain during the 1990s in search of work. The young Ismael discovered football there.
Following the 2007 economic crisis, the Saibari family left Spain and settled in Belgium, where they enrolled their two sons in the KVC Willebroek academy, in the province of Antwerp. Alongside his brother Akram, he combined football with school and learned Dutch before being spotted by Beerschot AC.
After impressing, following his conversion from center-forward to midfielder, he moved to the RSC Anderlecht academy. His journey there was cut short when he was released because of weight issues, which was his first major disappointment in his young career.
At the age of 16, KV Mechelen and later KRC Genk gave him the chance to bounce back. Unlike many Atlas Lions born in Europe, Saibari experienced several periods of displacement before finding his path in professional football.
The PSV breakthrough
At Genk, Saibari signed his first professional contract in 2017 and discovered the UEFA Youth League, experiencing European competition at a high level for the first time. Three years later, the young player moved to the Netherlands and signed a three-year contract with PSV Eindhoven.
His first appearance for the senior team came in November 2020 under Roger Schmidt, after several COVID-19 cases affected the squad. The following three years saw Saibari alternate between Jong PSV, the reserve team, and the first team.
Following the appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy as PSV’s head coach, Saibari was progressively integrated into the first team. The 2023-2024 season marked his breakthrough, as he scored his first goals for the senior team while winning his first national league.
The next season, Saibari achieved a double-double in Eredivisie, with 11 goals and 11 assists, establishing himself as a key player for PSV. He then took another step forward in the 2025-2026 season, the best one in his young career, recording 19 goals and 9 assists in 37 matches, earning the Eredivisie Player of the Season title and a third consecutive league title.
Growing into an Atlas Lions regular
Despite being eligible to represent Spain and Belgium, Saibari chose Morocco at an early stage of his international career, featuring for the youth teams from U15 level onwards. Unlike many Moroccan players raised in Europe, who began their international careers in European youth national teams, Saibari’s international pathway has been entirely built within Morocco’s national setup.
Saibari was included in the preliminary squad by Walid Regragui in August 2022 for World Cup preparation matches, but his senior debut came one year later against Burkina Faso. In the meantime, he took part with the Olympic team in the U23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), in June 2023, held in Morocco. He recorded 1 goal and 1 assist in 4 matches, winning the tournament as a major player.
Through those performances, Saibari paved the way for his integration into the senior squad. He was part of the 2023 AFCON campaign as a substitute, before becoming a regular starter two years later at the 2025 AFCON, finishing the tournament as a winner, and contributing with 1 goal in 7 matches. Long considered a promising talent, Saibari scored 9 goals in 30 appearances for Morocco and is now a genuine key player for the Atlas Lions.
A versatile player for the World Cup
Saibari took part in 24 of Morocco’s last 25 international matches, including 18 starts, and recently scored twice in the preparation match against Madagascar.
Neither a pure striker nor a traditional midfielder, Saibari derives his value from his versatility, as he is capable of playing in all attacking positions. His physical strength, combined with strong technical ability, ball control, and excellent first touch, make him a complete player with an exceptionally wide range of skills.
Despite all those features, his performances with Morocco have often been marked by a certain irregularity and difficulty to shine in big matches. The contrast in consistency between his PSV and Morocco performances is often criticized by some Atlas Lions’ fans.
However, the Eredivisie Player of the Season is expected to start Morocco’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opening fixture against Brazil. His current status as the most in-form player of the squad will likely earn him the trust of head coach Mohamed Ouahbi.
