Sabiri says he only understood the true scale of Bayern Munich after joining the club and training alongside its elite players, while revealing that a Champions League meeting with the German side was the moment he first fell in love with Bayern.
In an official interview on 3 September, Sabiri discussed his early impressions of the club, the influence of his parents, the value of speaking several languages and his close friendship with Abdelhak Nouri.
“Everyone knows Bayern is a great club, but only when you are truly here and training with these players can you truly understand this greatness,” he said.
The midfielder said Bayern’s professionalism was evident beyond the training pitch. He praised the way the club organises its preparation and highlighted its diet, infrastructure, medical department and coaching staff.
He also described the intensity of training, saying players think and react extremely quickly. The fact that supporters were still waiting for autographs after sessions added to the special atmosphere, he said.
‘That’s when I fell in love with this club’
Sabiri identified a Champions League match against Bayern as the point when his admiration for the club became genuine affection.
“I think it was when we played against Bayern in the Champions League,” he said. “At that time, I saw the way they played and felt the presence of these players.”
The experience was particularly powerful when Bayern visited his team’s stadium. Although the club’s reputation was already widely known, seeing its players and style of play at close quarters made a much stronger impression.
“As I said before, everyone knows Bayern is a great club, but when you experience it up close, it feels completely different. That’s when I fell in love with this club,” he added.
Asked to describe his own qualities, Sabiri said he tries to attack positively, consistently move into scoring positions and contribute in both attacking and defensive phases.
The advice he has received since arriving at Bayern, he said, has been straightforward: “work hard, work hard, and work hard again.” He believes continued effort will allow everything else to develop naturally.
Parents are his role models
Sabiri said his parents remain his greatest inspiration. They moved from Morocco to Spain with nothing before building a loving and united family.
He is one of four children, and all of them are now attempting to do their best to repay their parents for the sacrifices they made. Their journey, from starting with nothing to creating a good life for the family, has taught him the importance of perseverance.
“When you see the sacrifices your parents made for the family, you tell yourself, “If they can do it, I can too.”” he said.
Living in Germany without his family has not proved too difficult because they can now reach him by plane in about an hour. For the moment, Sabiri believes his priority is to work hard and prove himself at Bayern.
His ability to speak several languages has also helped him settle quickly. He said communication with team-mates, coaches and other club staff was essential when joining a new club.
Without the local language, a player can become isolated and lose confidence, even when others are willing to help. Sabiri believes his multilingual skills allow him to connect with everyone and adapt more quickly.
Friendship with Abdelhak Nouri
Sabiri also spoke about his bond with Abdelhak Nouri, who suffered a cardiac arrest during a friendly match against Bremen in 2017 at the age of 20. Nouri was taken to hospital by air ambulance, but suffered brain damage and remained in a coma for a year.
Sabiri said the incident was upsetting because Nouri was a person before he was a footballer. The pair were later introduced through Nouri’s brother, who works with Sabiri’s agent.
After getting to know Nouri, Sabiri began visiting him. He said that, in Islam, visiting someone who is ill is an obligation. Their communication grew over time and their families are now close enough to go on holiday together.
Although Nouri cannot speak, Sabiri said they are still able to communicate, with Nouri using his eyebrows to express himself. He also said Nouri was happy and that he hoped their friendship could bring him joy and help his physical condition.
Sabiri revealed that Nouri chose the number 34 when he was told, “Abdel, you choose.” Sabiri subsequently selected the same number.
His goal celebration also has a family story behind it. When Sabiri first appeared for the first team, his cousin suggested the “showering” gesture. As a child of about 10 or 11, Sabiri had gone to the beach with his cousin, who would help him shower.
The salute was added later to link the movements together, because Sabiri felt stopping immediately after the shower gesture would look awkward.
“As for the salute, it’s just to connect the actions together, because if I stopped directly after the “showering” action, I personally felt it would look a bit odd,” he said. “So I added the salute later. I’m not entirely sure how it all came together.”
