Medhi Benatia has been following the progress of Ismael Saibari, now a player for Bayern Munich, for several years. In a profile published by the Bavarian club, the former captain of the Atlas Lions highlighted the versatility, power, and technical skills of the Moroccan international.
“I first noticed him with the Moroccan U21 national team. He already had this strong ability to project himself towards the goal,” Benatia explained. The former defender also believes that Saibari is capable of occupying multiple positions and changing roles during the same match without his performance declining.
Benatia considers that the Moroccan’s move to PSV Eindhoven was a decisive step in his development. “In hindsight, Eindhoven was the right springboard for him to truly take a leap forward. He navigated it perfectly,” he added. Saibari left the Dutch club after scoring 42 goals in 142 matches across all competitions.
The former Bayern player also emphasized the athletic qualities of the attacking midfielder: “He is not the fastest, even though he reached a top speed of 33 km/h in the Champions League last season, but his acceleration is extremely powerful. Since he is technically gifted and physically robust, he is very difficult to stop.”
Issame Charaï, who coached Saibari with the Moroccan U23 national team, also praised his profile. “He was very mature for his age in his play and was very interested in tactics. He was, and still is today, obsessed with football,” the coach shared. His former coach at Genk, Kevin Van Dessel, describes him as a player situated between an attacking midfielder and a forward, capable of making deep runs while also participating in defensive duties.
