Roshn Saudi League all-time top scorer Omar Al Somah revealed a cherished moment for his family following Al Orobah’s 2-1 victory against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.
Al Somah had bagged his 149th goal in the competition as he led the promoted team from Al Jouf to a historic win late last month against their title-chasing Riyadh rivals.
However, for the Syrian, a three-time RSL top scorer, the most special part of the night came after the final whistle.
Five years Ronaldo’s junior, Al Somah has always maintained the 2024-25 RSL’s top goalscorer is his footballing hero, watching the Al Nassr’s huge impact from afar having departed Al Ahli in 2022 to move to Qatar’s Al Arabi.
And it seems that admiration runs in the family.
“I wanted to gift my kids a photo with Ronaldo,” Al Somah tells the SPL. “Since he moved to Saudi Arabia, my kids always have been asking me ‘Dad, when will you play against Ronaldo?’
"But I couldn’t explain to them that I played in a different league, so can’t play each other.”
The dream for Al Somah’s three children came closer to becoming a reality when their father, who shot Al Ahli to the 2015-16 RSL title, returned to the Saudi Arabian top flight in January.
In joining Al Orobah on a free transfer, it prompted his family to relocate to Jeddah, where they had resided for eight years during Al Somah’s record-breaking run at Al Ahli. It allowed them to be on site earlier this month, when Al Somah scored to help Al Orobah to that upset win against Al Nassr in Matchweek 18.
Finally, his kids got that long-requested picture with Ronaldo.
“Since I came back to Saudi, they kept insisting, so I brought them from Jeddah to watch the game," Al Somah says. "And I was able to get the photo with him.”
Al Somah, 35, explains why he believes Ronaldo to be the game’s undisputed No.1.
“Ronaldo, for me, is the best player in the world, and in the history of football,” he said. “What he achieved in football is incredible. Even today, he is 40 years-old but he’s still performing at a top level and scoring goals that 20-year-olds can’t score.
“Some people might not like this opinion, but for me he is the greatest footballer of all time. With all due respect to all legends, Pele, [Diego] Maradona, [Lionel] Messi and [Zinedine] Zidane, Ronaldo is the greatest because he’s a complete player. Everything you need in a forward, Cristiano has.”
With family photo alongside his hero secured, this week provides another snap-shot moment for Al Somah. On Thursday, Al Orobah take on Al Shabab, with their upcoming opponents featuring his closest challenger for the RSL’s all-time top scorer title: Abderrazak Hamdallah.
The Moroccan, previously of Al Nassr and Al Ittihad and also a three-time golden boot winner, has 143 goals to his name, while Al Somah has since added to his tally with a goal against Al Ettifaq last Saturday. In doing so, he became the first player in history to hit the 150-mark in the RSL.
