Romain Ghanem Paul Saïss (born 26 March 1990) plays as a defender for Süper Lig club Beşiktaş and captains the Morocco national team.
Saïss began his career with Valence, then played for Le Havre and Clermont of Ligue 2, and Angers of Ligue 1 before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016. He made 206 appearances and scored 15 goals, before moving to Beşiktaş in 2021.
A full international since 2012, Saïss, has earned over 70 caps for Morocco, whom he has captained since 2019. He represented the nation at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and two FIFA World Cups.
Saïss began his senior career with Valence in the Championnat de France Amateur 2 (fifth-tier), and supplemented his €500 monthly salary with washing up at his parents’ restaurant. At 21, he signed his first professional contract with Clermont in Ligue 2.
In June 2013, Saïss moved across Ligue 2 to Le Havre on a two year deal. When it ended, he joined Ligue 1 side Angers on a two-year contract.
On 30 August 2016, Saïss moved to England, joining EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal. He made his debut on 17 September in a 2–0 win at Newcastle United. In the game, he was subjected to racial abuse by opponent Jonjo Shelvey, who was given a five-match ban and £100,000 fine by The FA in December.
He scored his first goal for the club on 30 September 2017 in a 4–0 win against Burton Albion.
Following Wolves’ promotion to the Premier League in 2018, Saïss made his debut Premier League appearance as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on 22 September 2018. His first start in the Premier League came in a 1–2 defeat away to Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium on 30 November. He scored his first Premier League goal in a 1–1 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage on 26 December 2018. On 21 February 2019 he agreed a new contract until the summer of 2021.
On 25 July 2019 Saïss made his debut appearance in UEFA European club football competition as a late substitute in Wolves’s 2–0 home win against Crusaders in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League Second Qualifying Round and on 24 October he scored his first goal in such a competition when he scored the opening goal of a 2–1 away win at Slovan Bratislava in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage.
