Ragnvald Soma (born 10 November 1979) is a Norwegian former footballer who played as a defender for his childhood club Frøyland Idrettslag. He signed for them 02.02.2014 effectively retiring from professional football.

Ragnvald Soma
Personal information
Full name Ragnvald Soma
Date of birth (1979-11-10) 10 November 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth Kvernaland, Norway
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
Frøyland Idrettslag
Youth career
Frøyland
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2000 Bryne 99 (5)
2001–2002 West Ham United 7 (0)
2002–2003 Bryne 36 (2)
2004–2005 Brann[1] 52 (1)
2006–2009 Viking[2] 88 (4)
2009–2012 Rapid Vienna 65 (2)
2012–2013 Nordsjælland 1 (0)
2013 Lyngby 8 (1)
2013 Førde
International career
1998–2001 Norway U21 22 (0)
2004–2005 Norway 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 July 2013

Position

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He was primarily a central defender, although he had been both a left back and a defensive midfielder earlier in his career.[3]

Club career

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Early career

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Soma started his professional career in Bryne FK, amassing 99 league games.

West Ham United

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In January 2001 he moved to English Premier League club West Ham United for £800,000. His stay there lasted just over one and a half years, during which Soma made only seven league appearances before returning to Bryne on a free transfer. Whilst at West Ham he played in their 1–0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in the 2000–01 FA Cup,[4] coming on as a late substitute for his debut.

Norwegian football

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With Bryne relegated at the end of the 2003 season, Soma moved to SK Brann. He became an instant hit, being voted player of the year by several newspapers[citation needed] and becoming a regular in the Norway national team. In March 2006 he transferred to Viking for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £500,000, with Brann also getting right back Bjørn Dahl as a part-exchange.

Austria and Denmark

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After over three years at Viking, Soma signed for Rapid Vienna on 14 August 2009.[5]

After a spell with the Danish Superliga side Nordsjælland, Soma joined the Danish 1st Division side Lyngby. After his contract with Lyngby expired, he was training with his old club Viking.[6] He played the second half of 2013 for Førde IL.[7]

International career

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Soma played 22 matches for the Norwegian under-21 team before he was capped five times while playing for Norway between 2004 and 2005.[8]

Career statistics

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Season Club Division League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1997 Bryne Adeccoligaen 25 0 0 0 25 0
1998 24 0 0 0 24 0
1999 25 0 3 3 28 3
2000 25 5 1 0 26 5
2000–01 West Ham Premier League 4 0 1 0 5 0
2001–02 3 0 2 0 5 0
2002 Bryne Tippeligaen 11 1 1 0 12 1
2003 25 1 3 0 28 1
2004 Brann 26 0 7 0 33 0
2005 26 1 4 0 30 1
2006 Viking 24 0 4 0 28 0
2007 26 1 5 0 31 1
2008 18 0 3 0 21 0
2009 20 3 3 1 23 4
2009–10 Rapid Wien Bundesliga 33 1 0 0 33 1
2010–11 32 1 0 0 32 1
2011–12 14 0 0 0 14 0
2012–13 Nordsjælland Danish Superliga 1 0 0 0 1 0
2012–13 Lyngby Danish 1st Division 8 1 0 0 8 1
Career Total 370 15 37 4 407 19

References

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  1. ^ "Sportsklubben Brann – Ekte lidenskap har et navn". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  2. ^ "NIFS – Norsk & Internasjonal Fotballstatistikk". Nifs.no. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  3. ^ Soma-Zeit in Hütteldorf Archived 28 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Manchester United 0 West Ham 1". Sporting Life. 28 January 2001. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  5. ^ "Soma signerte toårskontrakt med Rapid | Aftenbladet.no". Fotball.aftenbladet.no. 14 August 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  6. ^ Fornes, Fredrik (12 August 2013). "Ragnvald Soma trener med Viking" (in Norwegian). Stavanger Aftenblad. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  7. ^ Iversen, Espen (11 October 2013). "Ingen planer om å gi seg". Rogalands Avis (in Norwegian). p. 21.
  8. ^ "Ragnvald Soma's profil". fotball.no (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
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