Omar Al Somah

Syrian footballer (born 1989)

Omar Al Somah
Al Somah with Al-Ahli in 2019
Personal information
Full name Omar Al Somah[1]
Date of birth (1989-03-23) 23 March 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth Marqashli Marsh , Deir Ez-Zor, 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 57 (43)
2014–2023 Al Ahli 180 (144)
2022–2023 → Al-Arabi (loan) 20 (19)
2023– Al-Arabi 19 (14)
International career‡
2007–2008 Syria U20 2 (1)
2008–2012 Syria U23 10 (5)
2012– Syria 40 (21)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 April 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]

After few days he retreated his retirement decision and announced that the retirement announcement was due to anger and frustration and he is ready to represent Syria whenever he’s called up for the international duty. [22]

Personal life

Al Somah has been married since 2015 and has two children.[23]

Philanthropy

In February 2019, Al Soma donated $6,000 to Al-Fotuwa, the club he started his career with.[24]

Career statistics

Club

As of 6 April 2024[25]
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Al Futowa 2008–09 SyPL 18 13 0 0 – – – 18 13
2009–10 SL1D 16 18 0 0 – – – 16 18
2010–11 SyPL 8 5 0 0 – – – 8 5
Total 42 36 0 0 – – – 42 36
Al Qadsia 2011–12 KPL 13 7 2 1 6 4 7[c] 4 4[d] 1 32 17
2012–13 18 13 5 3 4 1 9[c] 2 10[e] 13 46 32
2013–14 26 23 3 0 5 3 9[f] 8 1[g] 0 44 34
Total 57 43 10 4 15 8 25 14 15 14 122 83
Al-Ahli 2014–15 SPL 22 22 0 0 4 3 7[h] 6 – 33 31
2015–16 22 27 3 4 3 2 3[h] 1 – 31 34
2016–17 24 24 4 4 3 7 7[h] 5 1[i] 1 39 41
2017–18 14 11 1 0 – 0 0 – 15 11
2018–19 24 19 1 0 – 8[h] 7 6[j] 2 39 28
2019–20 25 19 3 3 – 4[h] 1 – 32 23
2020–21 24 12 0 0 – 5[h] 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 QSL 20 19 4 6 2 2 – 1[k] 0 27 27
2023–24 19 14 0 0 2 2 1 0 – 22 16
Career total 318 256 28 23 28 24 60 38 23 17 458 357
  1. ^ Includes Kuwait Emir Cup, King Cup
  2. ^ Includes Kuwait Crown Prince Cup, Saudi Crown Prince Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in AFC Cup
  4. ^ Appearances in Kuwait Federation Cup
  5. ^ Nine appearances and thirteen goals in Kuwait Federation Cup, one appearance in Kuwait Super Cup
  6. ^ Three appearances and one goal in AFC Champions League, six appearances and seven goals in AFC Cup
  7. ^ Appearance in Kuwait Super Cup
  8. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in AFC Champions League
  9. ^ Appearance in Saudi Super Cup
  10. ^ Appearances in Arab Club Champions Cup
  11. ^ Appearance in Qatar Cup

International

As of match played 17 October 2023
Syria
2012 4 0
2017 6 3
2018 7 4
2019 9 8
2021 4 2
2022 4 1
2023 6 3
Total 40 21

International goals

Scores and results list Syria's goal tally first.[26]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 5 September 2017 Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran  Iran 2–2 2–2 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 5 October 2017 Hang Jebat Stadium, Krubong, Malaysia  Australia 1–1 1–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 10 October 2017 Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia 1–0 1–2 (a.e.t.)
4 24 March 2018 Basra Sports City, Basra, Iraq  Qatar 1–0 2–2 2018 International Friendship Championship
5 6 September 2018 Milliy Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan  Uzbekistan 1–1 1–1 Friendly
6 10 September 2018 Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan  Kyrgyzstan 1–1 1–2
7 11 October 2018 Bahrain National Stadium, Rifaa, Bahrain  Bahrain 1–0 1–0
8 15 January 2019 Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates  Australia 2–2 2–3 2019 AFC Asian Cup
9 5 September 2019 Panaad Stadium, Bacolod, Philippines  Philippines 1–1 5–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
10 4–1
11 10 October 2019 Rashid Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates  Maldives 1–0 2–1
12 2–0
13 15 October 2019  Guam 1–0 4–0
14 2–0
15 3–0
16 12 October 2021 King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan  Lebanon 2–3 2–3 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
17 11 November 2021 Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Iraq 1–0 1–1
18 1 June 2022 Shabab Al Ahli Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates  Tajikistan 1–0 1–0 Friendly
19 25 March 2023 Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates  Thailand 1–0 3–1
20 17 October 2023 Police Officers' Club Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates  Kuwait 1–0 1–2
21 16 November 2023 Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia  North Korea 1–0 1–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Al Futowa

  • Syrian Premier Division U-18 League: 2007–08[4]
  • Syrian Second Division Northern Group: 2009–10

Al Qadsia

Al Ahli

Al Arabi

Syria

Individual

  • IFFHS AFC Men's Team of the Decade 2011–2020[27]
  • Saudi Professional League Player of the Month: October 2014, October 2015, November 2020[28]
  • Al-Ahli Player of the Year: 2014–15, 2015–16
  • Syrian Premiere Division U-18 League top scorer: 2007–08 (29 goals)[5]
  • Kuwaiti Premier League top scorer: 2013–14 (23 goals)
  • Saudi Professional League Golden Boot: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17
  • Player of the Month in Kuwaiti Al-Qadisiyah Club: December 2013.
  • Player of the season in Kuwaiti Al-Qadisiyah Club: 2014
  • Player of the season in the Saudi League: 2016
  • 2015 AFC Champions League Bronze Boot.
  • Sixth top scorer in the world 2016.
  • Best Asian goalscorer in the world 2016.
  • The King's Cup 2015/16 Top Scorer Award.
  • Best professional striker in the Gulf 2016.
  • Arab top scorer 2016 as the most recorded player in the Arab leagues.
  • Top scorer in the Crown Prince Cup 2016/17.
  • The best striker in the Saudi League 2017/18.
  • The award for the best Arab player for the year 2018 from (Riyadh.com magazine).
  • Silver Boot in the Saudi League 2018.
  • The best goal of the season in the Saudi League 2019.
  • Best striker in the group stage of the AFC Champions League 2019.
  • AFC Champions League 2019 squad of the year.
  • 2019 Syrian Player of the Year award
  • Best Syrian Professional Award for the year 2020.
  • The Bronze Boot in the Saudi League 2020.
  • Top scorer of the decade in the Saudi League: 2011–2020.
  • Top scorer Emir of Qatar Cup 2023

References

  1. ^ a b "Omar Al Somah". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  2. ^ "عمر السومة.. "العكيد" الذي أعاد اللقب إلى "قلعة الكؤوس"". سكاي نيوز عربية (in Arabic).
  3. ^ "لا عروض اوروبية". menafn.
  4. ^ a b "دوري الشباب السوري". Kooora.com. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  5. ^ a b "دوري الشباب السوري". Kooora.com. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  6. ^ "الأزرق دوت كوم". Alazraq.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Nottingham Forest trialists hope to do Arab football proud". Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Omar Al Soma". soccer24.com.
  9. ^ "هدف الأهلي الأول ضد الاتحاد (عمر السومة) في الجولة 22 من دوري كأس الأمير محمد بن سلمان للمحترفين". Dawri Plus (in Arabic). 1 March 2019.
  10. ^ "السومة يلحق بالشمراني بقائمة تاريخية بالدوري السعودي". Kooora (in Arabic). 29 November 2020.
  11. ^ "رسميا.. عمر السومة الهداف التاريخي للدوري السعودي". Kooora (in Arabic). 22 December 2020.
  12. ^ "العربي القطري يعلن رسميًا ضمّ النجم السوري عمر السومة إلى صفوفه". aden-hura.com (in Arabic). 10 August 2022.
  13. ^ "العربي يفوز على السد 0/3 ويتوج بكأس أمير قطر". vetogate.com (in Arabic). 12 May 2023.
  14. ^ "العربي يضم السومة موسمين".
  15. ^ "Syria 1–2 Iraq" (PDF). AFC. 2 November 2008.
  16. ^ "Kuwait vs. Syria". National Football Teams. 11 October 2012.
  17. ^ "المنتخب السوري يحرز لقب بطل غرب آسيا للمرة الأولى في تاريخه إثر فوزه على العراق 1-0" (in Arabic). France 24. 21 December 2012.
  18. ^ "الحلم يستمر.. السومة يضرب إيران بهدف قاتل ويعبر بسوريا إلى الملحق" (in Arabic). CNN. 5 September 2017.
  19. ^ McAuley, John (13 November 2019). "Exclusive: Omar Al Somah on 'that' goal in Tehran, 'that' overhead kick for Al Ahli and carrying Syria's World Cup hopes". The National News.
  20. ^ "إعلان القائمة النهائية لمنتخب سورية المشارك في نهائيات آسيا". Al-Thawra (in Arabic). 23 December 2018. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  21. ^ "عمر السومة يعتزل اللعب دولياً" (in Arabic). beIN SPORTS. 21 December 2023.
  22. ^ "السومة يتراجع عن قرار الاعتزال الدولي مع منتخب سوريا" (in Arabic). beIN SPORTS. 25 January 2024.
  23. ^ "عمر السومة يرزق بولدين "توأم" ويعلن عن اسميهما". akhbaar24 (in Arabic). 31 July 2017.
  24. ^ Omar-Al-Somah http://leartishasic.com. Retrieved 15 May 2021
  25. ^ Omar Al Somah at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  26. ^ "Omar Al Somah". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  27. ^ "IFFHS MAN TEAM - AFC - OF THE DECADE 2011-2020". IFFHS. 30 January 2021.
  28. ^ "أفضلية نوفمبر تذهب إلى رازافان والسومة وبخاري".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Omar Al Somah.
  • Omar Al Somah at Goalzz.com (also in Arabic at Kooora.com)
  • Omar Al Somah at Soccerway
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Syria squad – 2019 AFC Asian Cup
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