Ismael Saibari, once told he was too heavy, becomes Morocco's World Cup hero

Ismael Saibari, the PSV Eindhoven midfielder who scored for Morocco in a surprising 1-1 draw with Brazil in the opening round of the 2026 World Cup, has told the story of how close he once came to being discarded from football. He said that when he was 14, Anderlecht released him the day before the new season began. “I was told I was too fat,” he recalled. “I was playing well and was in good shape. It was an honor to play there, but a day before the new season I got the message that they were letting me go. It was very painful.”

Saibari did not give up. After Anderlecht, he continued at Genk and moved in 2020 to PSV Eindhoven, where he developed into a key player. He arrived at the World Cup after the best season of his career, scoring 19 goals and adding 10 assists in all competitions as PSV won the Dutch league title.

The article says Morocco's draw with Brazil was one of the biggest shocks of the tournament's first days, and that Brazil were lucky not to lose. Saibari, now one of Morocco's leading stars, is part of a team that reached the 2022 World Cup semifinals and is valued at about 40 million euros by Transfermarkt.

Morocco will face Scotland on Saturday in a key match for progression, after Scotland beat Haiti and lead the group. On 25 June, Morocco will play Haiti, and a win there would likely secure a place among the tournament's last 32. Saibari hopes to keep scoring and impressing as Morocco aims to surprise the world again.