Omar Al Somah

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]

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
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

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[lower-alpha 1] League cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Al Futowa 2008–09 SyPL 181300–––1813
2009–10 SL1D 161800–––1618
2010–11 SyPL 8500–––85
Total 423600–––4236
Al Qadsia 2011–12 KPL 13721647[lower-alpha 3]44[lower-alpha 4]13217
2012–13 181353419[lower-alpha 3]210[lower-alpha 5]134632
2013–14 262330539[lower-alpha 6]81[lower-alpha 7]04434
Total 57431041582514151412283
Al-Ahli 2014–15 SPL 222200437[lower-alpha 8]6–3331
2015–16 222734323[lower-alpha 8]1–3134
2016–17 242444377[lower-alpha 8]51[lower-alpha 9]13941
2017–18 141110–00–1511
2018–19 241910–8[lower-alpha 8]76[lower-alpha 10]23928
2019–20 251933–4[lower-alpha 8]1–3223
2020–21 241200–5[lower-alpha 8]4–2916
2021–22 251021–––2711
Total 18014414121012342473245195
Al-Arabi 2022–23 QSL 20194622–1[lower-alpha 11]02727
2023–24 1917002210–2216
Career total 3182582823282460382317458359
  1. Includes Kuwait Emir Cup, King Cup
  2. Includes Kuwait Crown Prince Cup, Saudi Crown Prince Cup
  3. 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. 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
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