Bayern Munich’s Ismael Saibari: "My favourite position is at No.10"
Bayern Munich’s Ismael Saibari was officially unveiled to the press on Friday, with the Morocco international saying his favourite position "is the number ten" - the role usually occupied by Jamal Musiala.
Although Bayern’s new number 34 officially joined the club on 1 July, Friday’s press conference marked the first occasion that the 25-year-old had spoken to the media as a Bayern player.
Saibari had been on an extended break having competed at the FIFA World Cup with Morocco before suffering a muscle injury. He first joined Bayern team training on Monday.
"My teammates gave me a great welcome,” said Saibari. “Everyone's very nice to me, the staff too." Saibari has clearly enjoyed his start to life in Munich, and the ex-PSV man also revealed that his recovery from injury was going well.
Bayern’s sporting director Max Eberl was full of praise for Bayern’s new acquisition, speaking of the long process that had taken place to sign Saibari.
"We've known Ismael for some time,” he said. “The final real sign that he was the right player for Bayern was the match against us," he continued, referring to the UEFA Champions League meeting in Eindhoven on Matchday 8 of the league phase in January.
"He caused problems again and again with his pace and versatility, even though we won. He's got something special."
This versatility is something that made Saibari so appealing to Bayern, with the Moroccan’s ability to cover multiple attacking positions should the likes of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Musiala need rotating.
"My favourite position is at number ten, everyone knows that,” said Saibari. “But I can play in several positions; we always switch around during games anyway. I can also play out wide and a bit deeper."
Although Saibari is living the footballing dream now, that life looked far from possible as a youngster.
The 25-year-old was born with a foot deformity that even threatened to hinder his ability to walk, let alone play football at the highest level: "I had some problems with my feet when I was born. My parents made a lot of sacrifices so I can be able just to walk and have a normal life. And eventually, because I’m a Muslim, I believe in God, and I think it was all part of God.”
In joining a club like Bayern, the stakes are automatically raised, but that didn’t seem to be something that would faze Bayern’s new signing.
"Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world,” Saibari said. “Their style of play suits me. They've given me the confidence that I can improve here."
When we will first see Saibari in action for the Bundesliga champions remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that his addition will add another string to an already sizeable Bayern bow.
