Who is Farès Chaïbi?

Farès Chaïbi

Age: 21 (born 28 November 2002)
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt 
Position: Attacking midfielder
Country: Algeria (eight caps, two goals)

Key stats 

Born in Bron in the district of Lyon, France, Eintracht's Chaïbi is a senior Algeria international on account of his dual nationality. Stints with a couple of local sides close to his birthplace were followed by a spell at FC Lyon, but things took a step up when Chaïbi switched to the Toulouse FC academy in 2019.

Just three years later and the talented attacking midfielder signed pro terms with Les Violets as a 19-year-old. With his immense progress gathering ever more pace, Chaïbi was soon making his presence felt in the big time with Toulouse via a senior debut as a substitute against Nice in a 1-1, Ligue 1 draw on 7 August 2022. 

A little over six weeks passed before Chaïbi was celebrating his first goal in the French top flight, which arrived in a 2-1 reverse against Lille, while he was on target once again while also providing an assist in Toulouse's next game, a 4-2 victory at home to Montpellier.  
  
Chaïbi had hit the ground running and he quickly became a regular for the French side, displaying admirable versatility by featuring across the front three and in central attacking roles. Revelling in a newly promoted Toulouse side, the Algeria international weighed in with three goals and two assists as the southern team went all the way to French Cup glory, the club's first success in the nation's domestic cup competition. 

It was also towards the end of that successful campaign that Chaïbi chose to play for Algeria. A senior international bow under coach Djamel Belmadi came in a 2-1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win against Niger in March 2023 while the 21-year-old scored a first goal for his country in the 1-0 friendly triumph against Senegal seven months later. 

By then, Chaïbi had completed his switch to the Bundesliga with Eintracht, signing a five-year deal with Die Adler. A superb performance in a Matchday 9 win against Hoffenheim preceded his first Bundesliga goal, coming in an exciting 3-3 draw against Borussia Dortmund.

Against defending champions Bayern Munich last November, the attacker excelled, providing two assists as the Eagles soared to a 5-1 win to the delight of their fans. A goal and three assists in Eintracht's UEFA Conference League group campaign has enhanced Chaïbi's standing even further this term.  

Watch: Chaïbi and Co. stun Bayern 

Plays a bit like: Serge Gnabry

Although the Bayern schemer has largely featured mostly on the right during his career, there are glimpses of similarities in the movement, distribution ability, pace and versatility among both Gnabry and Chaïbi. Both players also stand out in terms of their willingness to battle back possession in the final third and start dangerous attacks. 

Did you know?

Chaïbi's younger brother Ilyes Chaïbi is also a professional footballer, who plays for Thonon Évian.

What they're saying

"He's strating to show what we see in training out on the pitch. The more used to the Bundesliga he gets, the more he'll show what a top player he is." - Frankfurt head coach Dino Toppmöller, speaking in November 2023

"[Farès] can play in multiple positions in attack and offers attributes that will enhance our game. [We have] gained a player who’s young and capable of improving and yet already boasts plenty of national and international experience." - Eintracht sporting director Timmo Hardung on Chaïbi's signing for the club. 

“I was confident of striking the ball the way I did. The fact it went in makes it even sweeter. There’s more to come from me – I’m capable of doing better." - Chaïbi speaks after scoring a super winner in Eintracht's Conference League win against Helsinki.

"I could have spent another year with Toulouse but I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. Moving to the Bundesliga is an interesting step." - Chaïbi speaks at his Eintracht unveiling.