Ismael Saibari has etched his name permanently into football folklore.
The Moroccan attacker delivered yet another decisive performance on Wednesday night, scoring in Morocco’s thrilling 4-2 comeback victory over Haiti at Atlanta Stadium to secure the Atlas Lions’ progression to the Round of 32 as Group C runners-up behind Brazil. In doing so, the 25-year-old PSV Eindhoven star achieved three monumental milestones that cement his place in World Cup history.
First, Saibari is now Morocco’s joint-top goalscorer in World Cup history with three goals, drawing level with Youssef En-Nesyri. The strike against Haiti added to his earlier goals against Brazil and Scotland.
Second, he became the first African player in history to score in all three group-stage matches of a single World Cup tournament. According to Opta statistics, no African player had ever achieved this feat across a World Cup group phase.
Third, Saibari is the first African player ever to score in each of his first three career World Cup appearances. He had previously become only the second African to score in his first two World Cup matches, matching Egypt’s Mohamed Salah (2018), before surpassing that mark against Haiti.
The 25-year-old, born in Terrassa, Spain, to Moroccan parents, has enjoyed a remarkable rise. Named Eredivisie Player of the Year last season after scoring 15 goals in 27 league appearances for PSV, Saibari has now netted four times in his past four international matches. His goal against Scotland—a 71-second strike—was the fastest of the 2026 tournament and the quickest by an Arab player in World Cup history.
Deployed as a “false nine” by coach Mohamed Ouahbi—a role he had never played before the tournament—Saibari has exceeded all expectations. His performances have attracted attention from European giants, with reports linking him to Bayern Munich.
Saibari is also the first African player to score three goals in a single World Cup since Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan in 2010. With Morocco safely through to the knockout stages, he now has the opportunity to break more records in the rounds ahead.
Born with a congenital foot deformity that doctors feared might prevent him from ever walking, Saibari’s journey from orthopedic braces to World Cup history is one of football’s most extraordinary stories.
