Isaac Babadi’s career moved very quickly in its early stages. As an 18-year-old player, the Nijmegen-born midfielder made his debut for the PSV first team in the battle for the Johan Cruijff Shield against Feyenoord. He even started that match. He also played regularly at the start of the 2023/24 season. During that period he constantly switched between the first team and Jong PSV. Babadi played more games in the Eredivisie that season than in the Kitchen Champion Division. A year later that picture changed completely. The midfielder increasingly had to settle for minutes at Jong PSV, something that led to Babadi’s dissatisfaction.
That dissatisfaction came on top of a long period of uncertainty about his contract. For a long time it was not clear whether Babadi wanted to extend his commitment in Eindhoven. Although he emphasized several times that he was happy at PSV and would like to stay longer, there were also outside temptations. Feyenoord was mentioned as one of the interested clubs and Babadi was even said to have been in discussions. Yet clarity came at the beginning of 2024. Babadi signed a new contract that runs until the summer of 2028.
Despite that new contract, his sporting situation hardly changed. Both the club and the player realized that he had to find minutes elsewhere. Royal Antwerp became his new destination. The club of technical director Marc Overmars rented Babadi for a year without an option to purchase. In Belgium, Babadi should be given more opportunities than at PSV and at first that seemed to happen. He was immediately in the starting line-up in his first three games. However, things went downhill after that. In the following eight league games he only came on as a substitute. The mediocre results led to the dismissal of trainer Stef Wils. Antwerp, the national champion of the 2022/23 season, is currently in a disappointing tenth place. Marc Overmars appointed Joseph Oosting as the new head coach. It remains to be seen whether Babadi will get more playing time under him.
At the end of the season, Babadi will return to Eindhoven, although it is very uncertain whether he will join the first team selection again. The competition in his position is enormous, with players such as Paul Wanner, Guus Til and Ismael Saibari. In October, Babadi already hinted that he no longer believes in his chances at PSV. He told ESPN that his path probably lies elsewhere. Babadi indicated that after two years he has seen enough to know what his situation at PSV looks like and that his confidence has therefore decreased.
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