Romain Ghanem Paul Saïss (Arabic: رومان غانم بول سايس; born 26 March 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Süper Lig club Beşiktaş. Born in France, he captains the Morocco national team.
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:10, 5 November 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:38, 27 September 2022 (UTC)
A full international since 2012, Saïss has earned over 55 caps for Morocco. He represented the nation at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Club career
Early career
Saïss began his senior career with Valence in the Championnat de France Amateur 2 (fifth-tier), and supplemented his €500 monthly salary with washing up at his parents' restaurant. At 21, he signed his first professional contract with Clermont in Ligue 2.[3]
In June 2013, Saïss moved across Ligue 2 to Le Havre on a two year deal.[4] When it ended, he joined Ligue 1 side Angers on a two-year contract.[5]
Wolverhampton Wanderers
On 30 August 2016, Saïss moved to England, joining EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal.[6] He made his debut on 17 September in a 2–0 win at Newcastle United.[7] In the game, he was subjected to racial abuse by opponent Jonjo Shelvey, who was given a five-match ban and £100,000 fine by The FA in December.[8]
He scored his first goal for the club on 30 September 2017 in a 4–0 win against Burton Albion.[9]
Following Wolves' promotion to the Premier League in 2018, Saïss made his debut Premier League appearance as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on 22 September 2018.[10] His first start in the Premier League came in a 1–2 defeat away to Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium on 30 November.[11] He scored his first Premier League goal in a 1–1 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage on 26 December 2018.[12] On 21 February 2019 he agreed a new contract until the summer of 2021.[13]
On 25 July 2019 Saïss made his debut appearance in UEFA European club football competition as a late substitute in Wolves's 2–0 home win against Crusaders in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League Second Qualifying Round[14] and on 24 October he scored his first goal in such a competition when he scored the opening goal of a 2–1 away win at Slovan Bratislava in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage.[15]
On 18 March 2021 it was announced that Saïss had triggered an automatic one-year extension to his existing contract with Wolves by making 20 starts in the Premier League during the 2020–21 season and would therefore remain with the club until June 2022.[16]
On 15 December 2021 Saïss was described as the Moroccan Maldini by head coach Bruno Lage, after his display in the away Premier League tie at Brighton & Hove Albion, where he scored the only goal in a much longed-for win (Wolves's first-ever win at Brighton in the top-flight in seven attempts dating back to 1979).[17] He made his 100th appearance in the Premier League in 2–0 win away to Tottenham Hotspur on 13 February 2022.[18] His 200th competitive appearance in all competitions for Wolves was on 5 March 2022 in a home fixture against Crystal Palace.[19]
On 31 May 2022, Saïss announced that he would leave Wolves at the end of his contract on 1 July, having played 206 games for the club over six seasons, and scoring 15 goals, nine of them in the Premier League.[20]
Beşiktaş
On 14 June 2022, Saïss moved to Turkey, joining Süper Lig club Beşiktaş.[21]
International career
Saïss (in white) defending against Spain at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Saïss, who was born and raised in France to a Moroccan father and a French mother, chose to represent the Morocco national team. He made his debut in a 1–0 friendly loss to Togo in November 2012.[4]
Saïss was in the Moroccan squad that reached the quarter-finals of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon. He scored his first international goal in their 3–1 group win over Togo.[22]
In June 2018, he was named in Morocco's 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia,[23] and featured in group games against Iran and Spain.
After the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, in which Morocco made the last 16, Saïss became the captain of the Atlas Lions.[24]
On 10 November 2022, he was named in Morocco's 23-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[25][26]
Personal life
Saïss is a Muslim and observes fasting in the month of Ramadan.[27]
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