Sibari replaces the walking challenge with stardom.

Ismail Sabari, the Moroccan national football team's striker, suffered from a congenital deformity in his feet during his childhood, a health issue that doctors had told his parents at the time would make it difficult for him to walk again; however, he underwent a long and arduous treatment protocol that included relying on specialized mobility medical equipment to help him stand and walk.

He confidently said about that period in a statement to Swedish television "Finestrom": "My feet were curved inward, and I used walking aids, and the treating doctor informed my father that I might not be able to walk for the rest of my life."

He added: "But I am a Muslim and I trust in God, and my mother prayed for me. I just wanted a normal life, not necessarily to be a football player; but thank God, I have normal feet and a healthy body."

That was not the only obstacle in his path to stardom; he was excluded from the Belgian club Anderlecht's squad due to weight gain, a setback that did not deter his determination but rather pushed him to work harder to prove himself again until he reached the top and became a target for the German giant Bayern Munich.

Sabari, who began his football career with the Terassa club in the city where he was born in the Barcelona region, moved with his family to Belgium at the age of six, where he progressed through the youth teams of Beerschot, Anderlecht, Mechelen, and Genk, eventually landing in Eindhoven in 2020; he unleashed his talent with the Dutch team.

He displayed promising skills that he honed with a lot of effort, and he has now become one of the important tactical solutions and strong pillars in the options of the Moroccan national team's technical management.

When the Moroccan national team meets Haiti on Wednesday in Atlanta in the final third round, all eyes will be on Sabari to lead the "Atlas Lions" to their second consecutive victory and reach the Round of 32 in the World Cup finals in North America.

Sabari (25 years old) has caught attention in the United States by scoring both of his country's goals so far, the first with a beautiful lob shot against Brazil (1-1), and the second with an even more beautiful shot from inside the area against Scotland (1-0).

His goal against Haiti would make him the first African player to score in all three group stage matches in the World Cup, and it would also equal or break the record for the most goals scored by a Moroccan player in the World Cup, currently held by Saudi Union striker Youssef En-Nesyri (3), who is notably absent from the finals due to a technical decision by coach Mohamed Wahbi.