Sheikh Sibi

Sheikh Sibi

Personal information
Full name	Sheikh Sibi
Date of birth	(1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 26)
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	127	(0)
International career‡
2021–	Gambia	5	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 September 2024

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 8 September 2024 ^[10]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Gambia	2021	3	0
	2022	0	0
	2023	0	0
	2024	2	0
Total		5	0

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.

External links

• Sheikh Sibi at WorldFootball.net