Ragnvald Soma

Ragnvald Soma (born 10 November 1979) is a Norwegian former footballer who played as a defender.

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

Club career Early career Soma was drafted into the senior squad of Bryne FK after the 1996 season. Soma was also a prolific Norway youth international. During his time in Bryne, the team won promotion to the 2000 Eliteserien, with Soma amassing 99 league games.

West Ham United 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, coming on as a late substitute for his debut.

Norwegian football 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 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 After over three years at Viking, Soma signed for Rapid Vienna on 14 August 2009.

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. He played the second half of 2013 for Førde IL. From 2014 he went into semi-retirement, playing for Frøyland IL. He also featured for Klepp IL.

International career Soma played 22 matches for the Norwegian under-21 team before he was capped five times for Norway between 2004 and 2005.

Career statistics