'They said I was too fat': The Moroccan forward who stunned Brazil opens up

Ismail Saibari, the PSV Eindhoven midfielder who scored against Brazil in Morocco’s 1-1 draw at the start of the 2026 World Cup, has spoken about the rejection he faced as a teenager. The match, played in the opening stretch of the tournament’s early fixtures, was one of the biggest surprises so far, with Brazil said to have escaped defeat despite being expected to dominate.

Saibari recalled being dismissed by Anderlecht’s academy at age 14. “They said I was too fat,” he said in an earlier interview about the decision. “I played well and I was in good shape. It was an honor to play there, but one day before the new season started I got the message that they were releasing me. It was very painful.”

After that setback, he kept pursuing football, moving on to Genk before joining PSV in 2020, where he became an important player. He arrived at the World Cup after the best season of his career, with 19 goals and 10 assists in all competitions and a league title with PSV. Morocco’s rise has also been notable, after reaching the semifinals in the previous World Cup.

Morocco is now valued at about 40 million euros on Transfermarkt. The team will face Scotland on Saturday in a key match, with Scotland having beaten Haiti and leading the group, and then play Haiti on June 25 in a game that should secure passage to the round of 32 if Morocco wins. Saibari hopes to keep scoring and impressing as Morocco tries to shock the world again.