Romain Saiss is a French-born Moroccan international soccer star who is currently playing with England Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and captains the Atlas Lions of Morocco. His career began in France where he was born to a Moroccan father and a French mother.
Before joining Wolves in 2016, his previous clubs include; Valence, Clermont, Le Havre, and Angers. While internationally, he has been representing Morocco since 2012 and has played in three AFCON tournaments and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Here is every interesting thing you need to know about him.
Is Romain Saiss Married?
It is not clear whether the Moroccan defender/midfielder is married. It seems he prefers to keep this aspect of his life private. Much of what is known about him revolves around his career and family background.
Fascinating Facts You Need To Know About The Captain of Atlas Lions of Morocco
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1. Who is he?
He was born Romain Ghanem Paul Saiss on the 26th March 1990 in Bourg-de-Peage, France to a Moroccan father and a French mother. His father, Radouane Saiss is a restaurant owner. He is not the only child of his parents as he has a young brother.
The 35 year-old started playing football early, but it was on a non-professional level. His breakthrough came when he was in his mid-twenties with Clermont and Le Havre.
In the beginning, he didn’t see himself making it in football because of his age, but when destiny called, he answered. And has established himself as a fine midfielder and defender.
2. His father is a former footballer
Football runs in the Saiss’ family. It started with his father who played at the amateur level in France with Esperance Hostunoise. And later went on to play for a regional team called Olympique de Valence.
Now, the French-born Moroccan footballer is following in his father’s footsteps and doing better than his father ever was. And just like his father, he played for Valence.
3. His club career started with a French fifth-tier side
The Moroccan captain began his football journey in the French fifth-tier league, commonly known as National 3 with Olympique de Valence. While playing with the club, he was discovered by Sebastien Regache who had been watching him for several months.
Regache went on to recommend him to Saissto Jean-Noel Cabezas, the manager of the Clermont Foot reserve team. In 2011, the Moroccan joined the reserve team.
4. When did he sign his first professional contract?
Following an impressive performance with the Clermont Foot reserve team, Saiss started training the club’s first team in October 2011. In January 2012, after training with the first team for almost three months, coach Michel Der Zakarian offered him a professional contract barely two months to his 22nd birthday.
However, there are reports suggesting that his first professional contract was with Ligue two side Le Havre AC in June 2013. While at the club, he played in the midfield alongside Riyad Mahrez.
After spending two seasons at the club, the Moroccan international joined Angers which just gained promotion to Ligue 1.
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5. Jonjo Shelvey racially abused Romain Saiss during a match in England
In August 2016, the 35 year-old defender/midfielder joined the English club Wolverhampton Wanderers in a four-year deal reported to be around £3 million. He debuted for the club in a 2-0 away win over Newcastle United on 17th October 2016.
During the match, Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey racially abused the Moroccan skipper. The English FA slammed Shelvey with a five-match band and a £100,00 fine.
Saiss said it was a tough moment for him, coming to England where everything differed from France and Morocco, and having somebody say something bad about his color and religion. He appreciated his teammates and the club for the overwhelming support he got from them.
6. Saiss worked at his father’s restaurant for sometime
While he was playing with Valence, Morocco’s captain was earning a monthly salary of 500 euros. This amount was only enough to fuel his car.
So, he started washing dishes and giving menus at his father’s restaurant and was paid for it. He did it for a couple of years to meet his needs.
7. He was once a babysitter
As earlier mentioned the Moroccan international has a younger brother, but his name is not known. Saiss narrated how he used to babysit him when he was five.
He said his parents use to the live house very early in the morning to go to the restaurant and return home late in the evening. This means his younger brother was often left alone, so, when he returns from training, he babysit him.
8. Sergio Busquets Inspires him
The French-born Moroccan footballer says Spain and Barcelona defensive-midfielder Sergio Busquets has been an inspiration to him. According to him, Busquets is hardly noticed on the pitch, but he does extraordinary things.
He admires the Spaniard’s simple style of play and positioning and hopes to emulate him.
9. He was eligible to play for Morocco and France
The former Le Havre man had eligibility to play for the Atlas Lions of Morocco and the Les Bleus of France because of his dual nationality. Morocco’s then-coach, Rachid Taoussi invited him to play in a friendly encounter with Togo in November 2012.
Saiss was part of the Atlas Lions’ squad that reached the last 8 of the 2017 AFCON tournament in Gabon. He got his first international goal in a 3-1 victory over Togo in their group encounter.
He was given the captain’s armband after Morocco reached the last 16 of the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
10. How tall is he?
The Moroccan skipper is quite tall. He stands at a height of 6 feet 3 inches (1.90m) and has a bodyweight of 80kg (176lbs).
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