Zabiri has quickly become the standout attacking name in a summer of heavy investment by Racing Santander, who spent big to strengthen the squad in their bid to secure survival following a long-awaited return to the top flight.
The Moroccan, who represented his country at this year's World Cup, arrived on loan from Stade Rennes and has established himself as the club's leading offensive threat, scoring five goals in five league matches to sit second on LaLiga's scoring charts this season, behind only Raphinha and level with Sergio Camello and Roberto Fernandez.
The 21-year-old is currently scoring a goal every 57 minutes of league football. Signed on loan to play under head coach Jose Alberto Lopez, Zabiri was a substitute in Racing's opening two matches before earning his first start against Elche, when he marked the occasion with a hat-trick inside 69 minutes. He has started every match since, establishing himself ahead of Asier Villalibre as the club's central striker.
Ahead of Saturday's win over Alaves, in which Zabiri scored twice, Lopez had reportedly told his forward he intended to "steal one" off opposing goalkeeper Matias Dituro, a remark that proved prophetic given the striker's continued scoring form.
Zabiri's rise has also revived interest in comments he made in an earlier interview, when he named Barcelona as his dream destination.
"My goal is to play for Barca. Since I was little I liked Barca. When I was young I really liked Barca," Zabiri said in previously recorded remarks.
Growing up in Morocco, where support for Barcelona runs deep, Zabiri has spoken about following the Catalan club closely as a child, name-checking Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann in particular as forwards whose left-footed profile he tried to model his own game on.
"My whole family supports FC Barcelona. Messi is a legend. I mostly looked up to Suarez, and also Griezmann, whose left-footed profile is very similar to mine," Zabiri said in the same set of comments.
For now, Zabiri's future beyond this season remains tied to Rennes, who hold his contract until 2029 and are expected to welcome him back next summer once his loan spell in Cantabria concludes, regardless of how his form at Racing develops between now and then.