Sheikh Sibi
Personal information
Full name Sheikh Sibi
Date of birth (1998-02-21) 21 February 1998
Place of birth Serekunda, The Gambia
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Virtus Verona
Number 22
Youth career
Tallinding United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016– Virtus Verona 110 (0)
International career‡
2021– Gambia 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 January 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 October 2021

Sheikh Sibi (born 21 February 1998) is a Gambian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Italian Serie C Group A club Virtus Verona and the Gambia national team.[1]

Early life

Sibi was born in Serekunda to a Gambian mother and a Mauritanian father.[2] He left Gambia at the age of 16 with the hope of migrating to Europe. During the journey, he crossed the Sahara desert and reached Tripoli, where he worked as a painter for five months. In July 2015, he crossed the Mediterranean Sea in a boat and reached the Italian island of Lampedusa.[3]

Club career

Following his arrival in Italy, Sibi was assigned to Costagrande Reception Center in Verona. He soon moved to Virtus Vita, a non-profit organization which welcomes migrants. Since Virtus Vita and Virtus Verona were owned by the same company Vencomp, it helped Sibi to continue his football career.[4]

Sibi made his club debut for Virtus Verona on 30 October 2016 in a 2–1 Serie D defeat to Union Feltre. He made his Serie C and professional debut on 16 September 2018 in a 2–0 defeat to Fermana.[5]

International career

Sibi has received several call-ups to the Gambia national team since June 2019.[6] He made his international debut on 29 March 2021 in a 1–0 defeat to DR Congo.[7] He played in the 2021 Africa cup of Nations, his national team's first continental tournament, where they made a sensational quarter-final.[8][9]

Career statistics

International

As of match played 12 October 2021[10]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Gambia 202130
Total30

References

  1. ↑ Sheikh Sibi at Soccerway
  2. ↑ "Scorpions Profile- Sheikh Sibi, Goal Keeper". October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Sibi, che storia! "La mia speranza in un barcone. Ora il calcio a Verona"". Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  4. ↑ "Fere, occhio a Sibi: dal barcone alla Virtus Verona col mito di Buffon". 9 October 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "Fermana vs. Virtus Verona - 16 September 2018". Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  6. ↑ "Sibi Sheikh: dall'inferno del Mediterraneo al paradiso della Nazionale". 25 September 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "Sheikh Sibi gets heroic status after impressive Gambia debut". 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  8. ↑ https://www.cafonline.com/total-africa -cup-of-nations/matches/2021/2243295/lineups
  9. ↑ "The Gambia name squad for first Nations Cup finals". BBC Sport.
  10. ↑ "Profile of Sheikh Sibi". Retrieved 9 March 2022.
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