Al-Salmiya SC has signed Gabon international David Sambissa as the Kuwaiti club prepares for the new domestic season. The 30-year-old winger joined on a free transfer after his contract with Turkish club Istanbulspor expired on July 1, according to player database Transfermarkt. Sambissa, who can also play as a left-back, brings considerable experience from multiple European leagues to the squad.
The club’s announcement listed the signing as completing its full complement of five foreign players, which also includes Congolese defender Tresor Tshibwabwa, Uzbek Shakhzod Azmiddinov, Bahraini Abdullah Yusuf and Syrian Mahmoud Al-Aswad. Al-Salmiya has been training in Turkey, where its squad drew 0-0 with Qatari side Al-Markhiya in a recent friendly, the club update showed. Those matches form part of preparations for the league campaign that begins in early August.
Transfermarkt figures show Sambissa recorded 127 league appearances and five goals across five seasons with Dutch club Cambuur from 2018 to 2023. He then moved to Istanbulspor in 2023 and went on to make 93 appearances with seven goals through the end of the 2025-26 season. The player progressed through the youth ranks at French club Bordeaux before his move to the Netherlands.
Born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, France, on January 11, 1996, Sambissa is of Gabonese and Congolese descent, according to his profile on Wikipedia. He represented France at youth level before switching to play for Gabon, where he has earned 22 senior caps since his debut in 2021. Sambissa has participated in Africa Cup of Nations tournaments during that period.
Al-Salmiya SC was founded in 1964 and has won the Kuwait Premier League title four times, most recently in 2000, according to historical records on TheSportsDB. The club drew 3-3 with Kuwait SC in a recent match that highlighted the competitive balance within the league. Sambissa arrives as part of the summer recruitment drive aimed at bolstering the squad.
Player representatives confirmed the agreement via social media earlier this week. Sambissa will now begin integrating with his new teammates during the ongoing preseason. His background across several leagues is set to contribute to Al-Salmiya’s lineup in both league and cup matches this term.
