DUBAI: It was something like old times this week when renowned Syrian footballer Omar Al-Somar accepted an offer from Al-Orobah to play in the Saudi Pro League.

The player’s highlights at Al-Ahli, from May 2014 to August 2022, when he left for Qatar’s Al-Arabi initially on loan, included a record-breaking 144 goals in 180 Roshn Saudi League runouts and four major trophies.

In Jeddah, he was the fearsome center forward, standing 6 feet 4 inches and boasting the footwork of a ballerina. He had the grace to chest down and bicycle kick in March 2019’s unforgettable derby strike against Al-Ittihad, and the raw power to smash home countless free-kicks.

This richly talented figure has towered over the competition for almost a decade — literally and figuratively. An eye for the extravagant allied with ruthless finishing made him a poster boy for professional football in the Kingdom.

This, however, was before December 2022’s seismic announcement of Portugal megastar Cristiano Ronaldo’s recruitment and the rapid expansion of horizons that followed. It was also after an uncharacteristically meek contribution to the previous season’s unprecedented relegation for his team.

As the professional era’s unparalleled top scorer, Al-Somah’s exalted position in Saudi football is secure. The focus now is on what his return as a 35-year old on a free transfer can deliver for a club precariously positioned around the relegation zone, and which has netted only nine times in 14 outings during their top-flight return to date.

Ahead of Friday’s potential debut at Al-Khaleej, the celebrated attacker had an unequivocal retort to those who say you should never return to the scene of past glories.

“I’m delighted to be back in Saudi Arabia and back in the RSL,” said Al-Somah, according to Saudi Pro League’s official website. “It’s an honor to put on the shirt of Al-Orobah Football Club. I promise to do my best to live up to the expectations of everyone and add real value to the team.”

He added: “I’m really grateful for the fans who welcomed me in Al-Jouf and I’m honored to be among them. I look forward to my first match in Al-Jouf in two weeks’ time [the Jan. 22 encounter against Al-Qadsiah]. We need the fans to stand by us and push us forward in the next few months.”

Al-Somah held a tight grip on the RSL Golden Boot in three-consecutive seasons from 2014-17, plus played an oversized role in Al-Ahli that in the 2015-16 season ended a 32-year wait for another top-flight crown.

He bestrode a generation defined by spiky Saudi Arabia hitman Nasser Al-Shamrani, Al-Hilal’s beloved Bafetimbi Gomis and a prolific Abderrazak Hamdallah.

A much-changed league awaits him. 

Previously, it was unheard of for promoted sides to stack prominent players. But his teammates now include the likes of ex-France defender Kurt Zouma, Iceland’s experienced Premier League campaigner Johann Berg Gudmundsson, former Barcelona youngster Cristian Tello and Ivory Coast’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations winner Jean Michael Seri.

This is before you look at the world-class signings made by the likes of champions Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Qadsiah, Al-Ettifaq and the rest.

Elite center-backs such as Aymeric Laporte, Merih Demiral, Kalidou Koulibaly and Nacho must be conquered by Al-Somah if Al-Orobah are to get the goals they need. It is a sporting challenge many levels above what came before.

A further note of caution is that he barely cracked double figures during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 RSL campaigns as Al-Ahli’s travails and personal injury problems gripped.

Success did, however, follow in Qatar.

A brace against all-conquering Al-Sadd in the 2022-23 Emir Cup final ended Al-Arabi’s 30-year trophy drought. Only Kenya and Al-Duhail’s Michael Olunga (22 goals) bettered Al-Somah’s Qatar Stars League tally (19 goals).

Last season’s superb top-flight record came in at 17 strikes from 22 matches.

But Al-Somah has not been seen in action since August. Just 89 minutes and one goal were recorded in three appearances. This absence was extended to the international arena, with his last caps coming in June.

Understandable ring rust must be brushed off — and fast. It is testament to residual belief in his unique abilities, however, that Al-Orobah were forced to fight for this coveted signature.

Of the options he had available, Al-Somah said: “I had multiple offers, but this was the one I felt most comfortable with, and my heart went for Al-Orobah.”

Experience is the attribute which defines the club’s winter refit. Al-Somah joins a side now led by 63-year-old former Iraq, Jordan and Bahrain tactician Adnan Hamad. More tweaks may follow in the weeks ahead.

Any advantage will be sought in the battle to avoid demotion. Match week 15 began with 11th-placed Al-Ettifaq only three points above Al-Wehda in the final relegation spot.

Al-Somah’s Saudi record can never be questioned. Neither can the output during most of his Qatar spell at an Al-Arabi team that failed to gain silverware in the 21st century before he arrived.

The Syria icon departed the Roshn Saudi League after an unsuccessful scrap against relegation at Al-Ahli and rejoins via Al-Orobah with the same task at hand.

With a palpable determination to succeed, he is striking the right tone to see his standing enhanced rather than diminished during the remainder of this season.

It would be in character to witness a trademark torrent of goals, keep a grateful Al-Orobah up and cement an unmatched reputation that straddles different eras.

RIYADH: Recently crowned Longines World’s Best Jockey James McDonald will line up at the 2025 International Jockeys’ Challenge at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 21, the day before he bids for Saudi Cup glory aboard Romantic Warrior. 

It is the first time the globetrotting New Zealander, who has ridden 106 Group 1 winners in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the UK and Japan, will compete in Saudi Arabia.

McDonald has forged a much-lauded partnership with the record-breaking, three-time Hong Kong Cup winner Romantic Warrior. Following the IJC he will attempt to guide the world’s highest-earning racehorse to victory in the $20m Saudi Cup on Feb. 22.

An array of global stars headlines this year’s IJC, with seven male and seven female riders.

John Velazquez, who has well over 6,000 winners in the USA to his name, including six Classic victories, will make his debut after riding on Saudi Cup night last year.

Another global superstar making his IJC debut is Christophe Soumillon. The Belgian has taken a handful of rides at King Abdulaziz Racecourse over the years, with a single success back in 2004.

Top British rider Hollie Doyle, a dual Group 1 winner in the UK and Ireland last year, returns to ride in her second IJC after competing in 2021. She will be joined by four-time British Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy, who finished third in last year’s Group 3 Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap aboard Giavellotto before going on to guide the Marco Botti charge to success in last month’s Group 1 Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin.

Australia-based British rider Rachel King is no stranger to the big stage. A multiple Group 1-winning jockey in Australia, she also recently secured a Group 3 victory in Japan.

Maryline Eon will return to defend her IJC title, having claimed the prize last year when finishing seven points clear of Saudi Arabia-based rider Camilo Ospina. She will be joined by the winner of the inaugural IJC in 2020, Germany-based Sibylle Vogt, who will be competing in her third IJC.

The UAE-based Irish rider Tadhg O’Shea, whose biggest success to date came on 2024 Dubai World Cup champion Laurel River, will make his IJC debut.

McDonald’s New Zealand compatriot, Kelly Myers, is another riding in the IJC for the first time and will be joined by 22-year-old Canada-based Sofia Vives and Japan’s Manami Nagashina, also 22 years old. Both Vives and Nagashina come to the Kingdom on the back of outstanding seasons, where both celebrated their first Graded successes.

The IJC line up will be completed by two leading Saudi Arabia-based riders to be announced at a later date.

Riders will compete for points across the four IJC races, with the jockey that amasses the most points emerging victorious. In each race, 15 points will be awarded for first place, 10 for second, seven for third, four for fourth and the fifth placed rider will receive two points.

The first two IJC races will be run on the dirt track at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, while legs three and four will take place on the turf track. Each race is worth a total of $400,000.