Ismaël Gharbi was born on 10 April 2004 in Paris, France, to Tunisian heritage. He came through Paris Saint-Germain's youth ranks and was part of squads that won Ligue 1 in 2021–22 and 2022–23, the Coupe de France in 2020–21, and the Trophée des Champions in 2022 (as youth-squad contributions).
He went on loan to Stade Lausanne-Ouchy in Switzerland in 2023, where his 29 Super League matches with 6 goals and 6 assists demonstrated his attacking quality. After returning briefly to PSG, he moved to Portugal's SC Braga in summer 2024 on a free transfer.
His 2024–25 SC Braga season was outstanding: 29 Primeira Liga matches with 4 goals and 3 assists, plus 8 UEFA Europa League matches as Braga's senior creative attacker. In September 2025 he moved on loan to FC Augsburg in Germany's Bundesliga; his debut Bundesliga season has produced 6 league appearances and a DFB-Pokal match.
For Tunisia, Gharbi played 4 matches at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and scored a goal — his first major international tournament campaign. He has continued to feature in Tunisia friendlies as one of the squad's most exciting young creators.
A 173cm two-footed creative attacker with elite close control, vision and the technical quality to play in the No. 10 role or off the right, Gharbi is one of Tunisia's most exciting young attackers. He is a strong candidate for the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad as the long-term creative attacker behind senior figures like Skhiri and Mejbri.