Soufiane Rahimi Breaks Al Ain Scoring Record in AFC Champions League
Soufiane Rahimi stepped into a record book Asamoah Gyan once owned – and did it on a night when Al Ain sent a thunderous message across Asia.
At the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, under lights that have seen their share of big occasions, the Moroccan forward struck in a 4-0 demolition of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the AFC Champions League Elite opener. One goal in a one-sided contest, but a landmark one: his 19th for Al Ain in Asian club competitions, taking him clear as the club’s all-time leading scorer on the continent.
Rahimi moves past a giant
Rahimi started the game locked on 18 goals in Asian competition, tied with two club icons: Asamoah Gyan and Omar Abdulrahman. Gyan’s tally had long been the standard, a target for every forward who pulled on the Al Ain shirt. Abdulrahman’s name, meanwhile, is stitched into the club’s modern identity.
One clean finish against Al Nassr changed that hierarchy.
With that strike, Rahimi moved to 19 and into undisputed first place. No more sharing. No more asterisk. The record that Gyan had held or shared for years now belongs solely to the 30-year-old Moroccan.
For a fanbase that watched Gyan terrorise defences during his prolific spell in the UAE, this is no small feat. The Ghanaian’s goals had come to symbolise Al Ain’s continental ambitions. Now Rahimi’s name sits above his in that particular chapter of club history.
A new reference point for Al Ain
Gyan is retired. Abdulrahman has moved on. Rahimi is very much at the heart of what Al Ain are trying to build.
Across recent seasons, he has grown from an important signing into a central figure in their Asian campaigns, delivering goals and presence in the matches that define reputations. His influence helped drive Al Ain to the AFC Champions League title in the 2023/24 season, restoring the club to the summit of the continental game.
The manner of the 4-0 win over Al Nassr underlines how dangerous this Al Ain side remains. Ronaldo’s team arrived with star power and expectation; they left outplayed and overrun. Rahimi’s record-breaking goal slotted neatly into a performance that felt like a statement: Al Ain are not just defending champions, they are contenders again.
For Rahimi, the numbers now tell their own story. Nineteen goals in Asian competition for Al Ain, and counting. With the AFC Champions League Elite campaign only just underway, the gap between him and the chasing pack is likely to grow.
Every knockout tie, every tight group game, every big night at Hazza bin Zayed from here on carries another layer for him: not just the chance to push Al Ain deeper into the tournament, but to stretch a record that once looked firmly in Gyan’s grip.
A benchmark has been reset. The question now is how far Rahimi can move it.
