 Al Somah with Al-Ahli in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Omar Jehad Al Somah[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 23 March 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Deir ez-Zur, Syria[1] | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al-Arabi | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2008 | Al Futowa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2011 | Al Futowa | 42 | (36) |
| 2011–2014 | Al Qadsia | 122 | (83) |
| 2014–2023 | Al Ahli | 245 | (195) |
| 2022–2023 | → Al-Arabi (loan) | 27 | (27) |
| 2023– | Al-Arabi | 15 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2007–2008 | Syria U20 | 2 | (1) |
| 2008–2012 | Syria U23 | 10 | (5) |
| 2012–2023 | Syria | 40 | (21) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 January 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2023 | |||
Omar Jehad Al Somah (Arabic: عُمَر جِهَاد السُّومَة; born 23 March 1989) is a Syrian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi and the Syria national team. Nicknamed in Syria as Al ʿAqqid (Arabic: الْعَكِيْد) which is a historical civil character in Damascus known for participating in the resistance against occupiers and for being courageous, helpful, and generous.[2][3]
In July 2014, Al Somah joined Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League. He went on to become the league top goalscorer in 2015, 2016 and 2017. He helped Al Ahli win the league in 2016, their first in 32 years.
Club career
Al Futowa
Al Somah began his football career at the age of 12, joining the youth academy of Al Futowa (Deir ez-Zor) which won the 2007–08 Syrian under-18 league;[4] Al Somah was the top scorer of the league that season with 29 goals.[5]
Al Qadsia
On 30 June 2011, Al Somah joined Al Qadsia in the Kuwaiti Premier League.[6]
In July 2012, Al Somah participated in three games with Nottingham Forest, scoring once in a month-long trial.[7]
Al Ahli
During the 2018–19 season, Al Somah scored 19 goals in 24 matches for Saudi Professional League side Al Ahli.[8] On 1 March 2019, he scored an overhead kick against Al-Ittihad.[9]
On 29 November 2020, Al Somah scored a goal in a 2–1 win over Al-Faisaly, in which he managed in seven seasons to equal Nasser Al-Shamrani's record of 126 goals in eleven seasons, to be the joint all-time top scorer of the league, since the Professional League rebrand in the 2008–09 season.[10] On 22 December, he broke the record by scoring his 127th goal in a 1–0 win over Al Fateh.[11]
Al-Arabi (loan)
On 9 August 2022, Al Somah joined Qatari side Al-Arabi on a one-year loan.[12] On 12 May 2023, he scored a brace for Al-Arabi in a 3–0 win over Al Sadd in the Emir Cup final, to be their first title in the competition in over 30 years.[13]
Al-Arabi
On 21 July 2023, Al Somah joined Qatari side Al-Arabi on a two-year.[14]
International career
Al Somah played for Syria U20 during the 2008 AFC U-19 Championship, scoring his country's only goal in the tournament against Iraq.[15] On 11 October 2012, he made his senior debut in a friendly match against Kuwait, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[16] He was then part of the team which won the 2012 WAFF Championship.[17]
After a five-year hiatus, he returned to the national team during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, playing his first match against Qatar on 31 August 2017, followed by scoring his first goal, a stoppage-time equalizer in a 2–2 away draw against Iran, which qualified his country to the qualification's fourth round.[18] He scored both goals against Australia in a 2–3 defeat on aggregate, in addition to hitting the post from a free kick in the stoppage time of extra time, which could have qualified his country to the inter-confederation play-offs on away goals rule.[19] In December 2018, he was named in the Syrian squad for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.[20]
In December 2023, he announced his retirement from international football, after being excluded by coach Héctor Cúper from the squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.[21]
Personal life
Al Somah has been married since 2015 and has two children.[22]
Philanthropy
In February 2019, Al Soma donated $6,000 to Al-Fotuwa, the club he started his career with.[23]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 8 January 2024[24]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Al Futowa | 2008-09 | 18 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 13 | |
| 2009-10 | 16 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 18 | ||
| 2010-11 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5 | ||
| Total | 42 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 36 | ||
| Al Qadsia | 2011–12 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 32 | 17 | |
| 2012–13 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 10[lower-alpha 2] | 13 | 46 | 32 | ||
| 2013–14 | 26 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 1[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 44 | 34 | ||
| Total | 57 | 43 | 10 | 4 | 15 | 8 | 25 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 122 | 83 | ||
| Al-Ahli | 2014–15 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | – | – | 33 | 31 | |
| 2015–16 | 22 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 31 | 34 | ||
| 2016–17 | 24 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1[lower-alpha 4] | 1 | 39 | 41 | ||
| 2017–18 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 11 | ||
| 2018–19 | 24 | 19 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 7 | 6[lower-alpha 5] | 2 | 39 | 28 | ||
| 2019–20 | 25 | 19 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 4 | 1 | – | – | 32 | 23 | ||
| 2020–21 | 24 | 12 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 4 | – | – | 29 | 16 | ||
| 2021–22 | 25 | 10 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 27 | 11 | ||
| Total | 180 | 144 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 34 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 245 | 195 | ||
| Al-Arabi | 2022–23 | 20 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 1[lower-alpha 6] | 0 | 27 | 27 | |
| 2023–24 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 311 | 248 | 28 | 23 | 28 | 24 | 60 | 38 | 23 | 17 | 451 | 349 | ||
- ↑ Appearances in Kuwait Federation Cup
- ↑ Nine appearances and thirteen goals in Kuwait Federation Cup, one appearance in Kuwait Super Cup
- ↑ Appearance in Kuwait Super Cup
- ↑ Appearance in Saudi Super Cup
- ↑ Appearances in Arab Club Champions Cup
- ↑ Appearances in Qatar Cup
International statistics
- As of match played 17 October 2023
International goals
HonoursAl Futowa
Al Qadsia
Al Ahli
Al Arabi
Syria Individual
References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Omar Al Somah.
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