Soufiane Rahimi Rewrites Al Ain History with AFC Champions League Goal
Soufiane Rahimi didn’t just score against Al Nassr. He rewrote a chapter of Al Ain’s history.
On a charged night at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the opposing side and the AFC Champions League Elite campaign kicking off, the Moroccan forward stepped out from the shadow of a club legend. His goal in a 4-0 demolition of Al Nassr pushed him to 19 strikes in Asian club competition for Al Ain, lifting him clear of Asamoah Gyan and Omar Abdulrahman as the club’s all-time top scorer on the continent.
Rahimi passes Gyan – and stands alone
Rahimi entered the tie locked on 18 goals with two of the most iconic names to wear the Al Ain shirt in Asia. Gyan, the Ghanaian powerhouse who terrorised defences during his spell in the UAE, had long set the benchmark. Abdulrahman, the Emirati playmaker who defined an era for club and country, had joined him at the summit.
One more goal was all Rahimi needed. He delivered it against one of the biggest names in world football.
The strike against Al Nassr didn’t just tilt the scoreboard. It shifted the record books, giving the 30-year-old outright ownership of a mark that had stood as a symbol of Gyan’s influence for years. With the former Ghana captain now retired and Abdulrahman no longer in the squad, the record belongs to Rahimi alone.
His tally now sits above two players who shaped Al Ain’s continental identity. That is the company he keeps.
A new standard-bearer for Al Ain in Asia
Rahimi’s rise has not been sudden. Season by season, he has tightened his grip on Al Ain’s big nights in Asia, turning from a dangerous forward into the side’s reference point on the continental stage.
He was central to the run that delivered the AFC Champions League title in the 2023/24 season. Now, as the club opens its AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a statement 4-0 win over Al Nassr, his influence feels even heavier. The scoreline underlines it: Al Ain are not just participants; they look like contenders again, and Rahimi is at the heart of that ambition.
The record, in that context, feels less like a finish line and more like a starting point. With the new format offering more high-stakes fixtures, the Moroccan has ample room to stretch the gap between himself and the chasing pack in Al Ain’s Asian scoring charts.
For years, Gyan’s name framed every conversation about Al Ain’s cutting edge in continental competition. Now, a different name tops the list. The question is no longer whether Rahimi belongs alongside the club’s greats in Asia.
It’s how far he can pull away from them.
