Later this summer, Alphonso Davies will hit the training pitch with Bayern Munich and perhaps share a laugh with one of the club's newest additions. But until the final whistle blows after Saturday's FIFA World Cup Round of 16 matchup between Canada and Morocco, he and Ismael Saibari will remain rivals.
On Wednesday, Bayern announced the signing of the Moroccan attacking midfielder to join the German champions this coming season, where he will play alongside the Canadian captain.
Saibari's Dream Move to Bayern
"As a child, you dream of signing a contract with a club like Bayern — everybody knows it's one of the world's biggest clubs," Saibari told the club's official website. "Bayern compete for the biggest titles like the Champions League every year and I want to win as many trophies as possible here."
The 25-year-old has signed a five-year contract with Bayern with the transfer fee reportedly worth up to $85 million. During Morocco's training session on Wednesday, Saibari's teammates congratulated him on the big move to the UEFA Champions League contenders.
Focus on World Cup Clash
But for now, Saibari and Davies both will be focused on helping propel their national team past the other on the pitch in Houston on Saturday afternoon. While Davies only made his 2026 World Cup debut during Canada's Round of 32 match against South Africa on Sunday, Saibari has led the way for the North African side.
The midfielder scored in each of his country's three group stage matches and then scored the winner in Morocco's penalty shootout victory over Netherlands on Monday.
Kompany's Influence
Saibari said that Bayern manager Vincent Kompany, a former star player himself, played a role in his decision. "Bayern's play suits me, I can play my own style of football here and I'll work hard every day to help the team," Saibari said. "Coach Vincent Kompany played a key role in my decision — I'm looking forward to working with him."
While Saibari has taken a star turn during this summer's tournament, the club said it had been tracking him "long term" as he excelled at PSV, scoring 31 goals and adding 24 assists during his time with the Dutch club.
Bayern's Statement
"We're delighted to have secured the services of Ismael Saibari, one of the most exciting forwards at the World Cup," Bayern's board member for sport Max Eberl said. "Transfers like this don't happen on the spur of the moment, but are the result of long-term planning: The key factor was that we made our position clear to him early on because we were aware of Ismael's skills and were able to show him a clear future with us from the start. Ismael Saibari will bring extra quality and unpredictability to our attacking play."
