Soufiane Rahimi Becomes Al Ain's All-Time Leading Scorer in Asia
Soufiane Rahimi did more than score in Al Ain’s ruthless dismantling of Al Nassr. He rewrote a chapter of the club’s history.
On a night when Al Ain tore through Cristiano Ronaldo’s side 4-0 in their AFC Champions League Elite opener at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, the Moroccan forward stepped out of the shadows of two club icons and claimed a record that had stood for years.
Rahimi leaves Gyan and Abdulrahman behind
Rahimi started the game locked on 18 goals in Asian competitions for Al Ain, level with Asamoah Gyan and Omar Abdulrahman. One more would move him clear. One clean finish would tilt the record books in his favour.
He got it.
The goal against Al Nassr pushed him to 19, making him Al Ain’s outright all-time leading scorer in Asian club competitions. No more sharing. No more ties. The record now belongs to Rahimi alone.
That single strike lifted him above two of the most revered names in Al Ain’s continental story. Gyan, whose explosive spell in the UAE turned him into a cult hero, had long set the benchmark. Abdulrahman, the gifted playmaker once seen as the face of Emirati football, had matched that tally but is no longer part of the current squad.
With Gyan retired and Abdulrahman watching from afar, Rahimi is now the standard-bearer.
A new focal point for Al Ain in Asia
This was not a one-off moment. Rahimi has been steadily tightening his grip on Al Ain’s big nights in Asia, season after season. His influence has grown with every campaign, his goals increasingly central to the club’s continental ambitions.
He helped drive Al Ain to the AFC Champions League title in the 2023/24 season. Now, as the club launches its AFC Champions League Elite journey with a statement win over Al Nassr, he stands at the top of their scoring charts with room to spare.
The 4-0 scoreline did more than send a message to the rest of the field. It underlined that Al Ain remain a serious force in the competition, with Rahimi at the heart of it. Every game from here offers him another chance to stretch that record, to put distance between himself and the legends he has just passed.
Gyan’s tally had long symbolised Al Ain’s aspirations in Asia, a reminder of the heights they once hit. Rahimi’s 19th goal signals a new era. The bar has moved.
Now the question is simple: how far can he push it?
