Sabri Ben Hessen Profile, Stats and Career

Sabri Ben Hessen is a 29-year-old Tunisian professional goalkeeper playing for Étoile Sportive du Sahel in the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1. Born in Sfax and a product of CS Sfaxien's academy, he spent twelve years at the club before joining ES Sahel in July 2025. He earned his first senior Tunisia cap in 2025 and was selected for Tunisia's 2026 FIFA World Cup squad as their third-choice goalkeeper. This profile covers his age, career, and international record.

Having competed for CS Sfaxien from 2013 to 2025 — with a brief loan to CS Hammam-Lif in 2018 — Ben Hessen made 25+ league appearances and earned a market value of €400,000 before joining ES Sahel on a free transfer on a three-year deal. His senior Tunisia debut in a friendly in 2025 gave him the international experience needed to be named in the World Cup squad.

Early Life and Background

Sabri Ben Hessen was born on 13 June 1996 in Sfax — Tunisia's second-largest city and one of the country's most important footballing centres. He joined CS Sfaxien's youth academy, one of Tunisia's most historically significant clubs, and spent seven years developing through their age groups before signing his first professional contract in 2013.

The path from Sfaxien's academy to their senior squad took him thirteen years in total — a long road of patient development that is common in Tunisian domestic football where experienced goalkeepers frequently occupy the starting berth for extended periods. A loan to CS Hammam-Lif in January 2018 gave him regular match experience that accelerated his readiness for a senior role.

From CS Sfaxien to ES Sahel

Ben Hessen extended his CS Sfaxien contract multiple times — in June 2018 (until 2022), June 2022 (until 2024), and February 2024 (until 2027) — before ultimately departing on a free transfer to ES Sahel on 2 August 2025 on a three-year deal. ES Sahel are one of Tunisia's most successful clubs and his move there placed him in a more competitive position for national team consideration.

His path to the senior Tunisia team followed shortly after. He made his senior debut in a friendly in 2025 and was named in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Tunisia's third goalkeeper — recognition of his consistent domestic performances across twelve professional seasons.

Sabri Ben Hessen Personal Info and Profile

Ben Hessen's 6 ft 2 in frame and his long tenure in Tunisia's top flight with CS Sfaxien give him the domestic credibility of a goalkeeper who has competed consistently at the highest level of Tunisian football. His move to ES Sahel — one of the continent's most decorated clubs — places him in an environment that further builds his profile ahead of the World Cup.

Transfer News and Market Value

Sabri Ben Hessen joined ES Sahel on a free transfer on 22 July 2025, signing a contract through 30 June 2028. His market value is estimated at approximately €400,000, consistent with an established domestic goalkeeper in the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1.

His departure from CS Sfaxien after twelve years was driven by the desire to compete at a larger club with European competition exposure. ES Sahel participate in the CAF Champions League and provide continental football alongside the domestic league.

No significant international transfer interest has been reported. His profile as a domestic Tunisian goalkeeper without European club experience limits his attractiveness to European markets, though the World Cup could change that.

Post-World Cup, his ES Sahel contract through 2028 provides stability. Any future move would likely be within the Tunisian or broader North African domestic market.

Salary and Net Worth

Sabri Ben Hessen's salary at ES Sahel is estimated between $8,000 and $15,000 per month, consistent with an experienced goalkeeper at one of Tunisia's top clubs.

His CS Sfaxien salary across twelve seasons would have been at similar domestic Tunisian rates, growing gradually with contract extensions but remaining well below the salary levels of European or Middle Eastern football.

Total career earnings are estimated at approximately $800,000–1.5 million USD across his twelve professional seasons in Tunisian domestic football.

His World Cup squad selection provides a FIFA prize pool distribution supplement through the Tunisian Football Federation, his first major international tournament payment.

Commercial opportunities are minimal at this stage, consistent with a domestic goalkeeper whose career has been spent entirely in Tunisian club football away from European visibility.

Estimated net worth at this stage is approximately $400,000–700,000 USD.

His ES Sahel contract through 2028 and World Cup exposure provide the best opportunity of his career to attract interest from Arab-world or African leagues with higher salary structures.

Sabri Ben Hessen Club Career

Ben Hessen made his professional debut at CS Sfaxien in 2013 and spent twelve years at the club through four contract extensions. During that period he made 26+ appearances across all competitions — league, cup, and CAF African continental matches — establishing himself as one of the more reliable domestic goalkeepers in Tunisian professional football.

A loan to CS Hammam-Lif in January 2018 gave him his first sustained run as first-choice goalkeeper in a competitive environment. He returned to Sfaxien at the end of that loan and continued his development before establishing himself as the club's starting goalkeeper across the following seasons.

His ES Sahel move in July 2025 placed him at a club where he would compete for a starting spot alongside other quality domestic goalkeepers, and his consistent Ligue Professionnelle 1 appearances in the 2025–26 season maintained his form heading into the World Cup.

With 22+ Ligue 1 appearances for ES Sahel in 2025–26 and 1 clean sheet, alongside his prior Sfaxien record, his domestic consistency across two major Tunisian clubs formed the basis of his World Cup squad inclusion as the backup option behind the more established Dahmen and Chamakh.

Club Career Stats

Tunisia senior debut record

International Career

Sabri Ben Hessen represented Tunisia at youth level — U17 at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, U20 in 2014, and U23 at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations U23 — before his senior debut in a 2025 friendly. His youth World Cup participation gave him early international exposure that shaped his goalkeeping development.

His senior debut in 2025 came after years of consistent domestic performances that eventually brought him to the attention of Tunisia's senior coaching staff. The move to ES Sahel in July 2025 immediately elevated his profile.

Tunisia's 2026 World Cup squad selection confirmed his standing as the third-choice goalkeeper — a role that primarily involves training and squad depth rather than starting expectations. However, the international experience and exposure from the tournament will be the most significant of his career.

Honours and Trophies

Playing Style and Key Strengths

Sabri Ben Hessen is a traditional shot-stopper goalkeeper who combines a 6 ft 2 in frame with positional reliability and aerial authority. His twelve seasons of consistent Tunisian domestic football have given him a thorough understanding of the positional demands and tactical systems used across the Tunisian league.

His strongest qualities are composure, aerial dominance, and his ability to organise a defensive line in the domestic environment. He is not a high-profile international with European league experience, but his domestic record across two of Tunisia's top clubs reflects the kind of consistent, reliable goalkeeping that earns national team consideration.

Domestic consistency as the foundation

Ben Hessen's World Cup squad place is built on twelve years of quiet professional consistency at CS Sfaxien and ES Sahel — exactly the kind of career that earns a third-goalkeeper role at a major international tournament. His youth World Cup experience, domestic record, and improved profile at ES Sahel made him the natural choice behind Dahmen and Chamakh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Sabri Ben Hessen's career from Sfax through CS Sfaxien's academy to ES Sahel and Tunisia's 2026 World Cup squad is a story of patient professionalism in Tunisian domestic football. Twelve seasons at one club — extended repeatedly through dedicated performances — before a step up to ES Sahel and, ultimately, a World Cup squad selection.

At 29 and under contract at ES Sahel through 2028, his career is entering its peak years. The World Cup provides exposure beyond Tunisia's domestic market that could open new professional opportunities in the years ahead, even if his role during the tournament itself is primarily as a squad depth option.