Saibari joins Bayern Munich after historic World Cup penalty shootout

Saibari signs for Bayern Munich

Ismael Saibari is a Bayern Munich player. The deal is done: a record transfer from PSV Eindhoven, with the fee comparable to what Bayern paid for Michael Olise (1) (3) (6).

Saibari kept it simple: "Since I was a child, you dream of signing a contract with a team like Bayern" (6).

The timing is poetic. Three days after knocking the Netherlands out of the World Cup on penalties, Saibari puts pen to paper with one of Europe's giants. Vincent Kompany gets a midfielder who scored in every group stage match and then buried his spot-kick to send Morocco through.

How Morocco got here

Morocco 1–1 Netherlands in the round of 32. Then penalties. Saibari scored, the Dutch goalkeeper put one into his own net during the shootout, and your team held their nerve while the Netherlands crumbled (2) (7). Monday night in Monterrey.

Dutch manager Ronald Koeman faced the press afterwards. No regrets about his five-man backline. He said he would do the same again, though he admitted he will reflect on his future (8). The Dutch squad arrived back home midweek, their World Cup over (11).

Chibi's message to Senegal

Mohamed Chibi did not hold back. After Senegal were eliminated from the World Cup by Belgium in extraordinary fashion, the Morocco international posted: "Go there and cry" (5).

Belgium pulled off a wild comeback in extra time to send Senegal home (2). Chibi saw his moment.

Fan reactions

The mood is electric. Moroccan fans online are calling Saibari's Bayern move perfectly timed, the kind of announcement that turns a knockout win into something even bigger. One thread on r/Morocco captures the energy: pride in Saibari, and a growing belief that this World Cup run has more chapters left.

Read the full discussion on r/Morocco