After FC Bayern’s traditional visit to Oktoberfest, Saibari will head straight to the Moroccan national team. Due to the unusually long international break, the 25-year-old will be away from Munich for several weeks afterward and will therefore miss most of the Wiesn.
Saibari isn’t particularly upset about it, though. After the goal-fest against Union, the midfielder was asked if he regretted not being able to visit Oktoberfest more often during the international break.
His answer was pretty clear: “Oktoberfest isn’t my thing because I don’t drink and all that. Of course, being in Munich, being with Bayern—that’s always a reason to celebrate. Maybe next year?”
Saibari isn’t a fan of the Bavarian tradition
Signs that the new signing hadn’t quite warmed up to the Wiesn and its traditions had already become apparent a few weeks ago.
During FC Bayern’s traditional Lederhosen photo shoot, Saibari slipped into the Bavarian costume for the first time. Even then, he made no secret of the fact that Lederhosen aren’t exactly his cup of tea.
“It’s not really my style,” the Moroccan explained at the time, though he took the unfamiliar attire in stride: “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Still, Saibari won’t be able to completely escape Oktoberfest. Before leaving to join their national teams, the Bayern stars still have the obligatory group visit to the Wiesn on their schedule. The 25-year-old is also expected to attend with his teammates.
After that, however, his full focus will return to soccer.
Saibari wants to continue finding his rhythm with Morocco
For Saibari, the international break could actually be beneficial from a sporting perspective. The summer signing, who joined from PSV Eindhoven, continues to work on fully adapting to Vincent Kompany’s system.
Against Union, he provided further proof of his progress. After coming on as a substitute, Saibari scored the goal that made it 5–0, celebrating his first competitive goal in a Bayern jersey.
While Saibari will be on the road with Morocco, some of his teammates will remain in Munich. Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich are not traveling to join their national teams. Luis Díaz, too, will not play for Colombia this time and will instead get a break.
For Saibari, however, after a brief stop at the Oktoberfest, it’s the national team instead of the festival. This trade-off doesn’t seem to be particularly difficult for him.