Ismael Saibari named Eredivisie Player of the Year
Ismael Saibari was crowned Eredivisie Player of the Year 2025/26 during the Eredivisie Awards. The 25-year-old PSV midfielder received the most votes from the eighteen team captains. The award was presented by his younger brothers, Akram and Adam.
Ismael Saibari was nominated for the award alongside Tjaronn Chery (N.E.C. Nijmegen), Mika Godts (Ajax), Jacob Trenskow (sc Heerenveen) and Joey Veerman (PSV). In the end, a large majority of the eighteen team captains agreed: Ismael Saibari was the best player of the past season. The award was organised in collaboration with players’ union VVCS.
23 goal involvements
The Moroccan international was directly involved in 23 goals in 27 matches this season, scoring 15 goals and providing 8 assists. That made him the highest-scoring midfielder of the campaign, averaging a goal involvement every 94 minutes.
Saibari particularly made the difference in the biggest matches. Against clubs currently in the top six, the midfielder recorded five goals and three assists, helping PSV secure a third consecutive league title. He also averaged the most shots per 90 minutes in the league (3.8).
Second PSV player
Ismael Saibari is the second PSV player to be named Player of the Year. Luuk de Jong previously won the award for the Eindhoven club in 2023/24. Other recent winners include Sem Steijn (2024/25), Orkun Kökcü (2022/23), Jurriën Timber (2021/22), Dusan Tadić (2020/21) and Frenkie de Jong (2018/19).
Eredivisie Awards
The award was presented during the Eredivisie Awards 2026, broadcast live on ESPN. The Eredivisie Awards are an initiative of the Eredivisie, Women’s Eredivisie and ESPN. VriendenLoterij, PLUS and the Cruyff Foundation are partners of the Eredivisie Awards.
