Harambee Stars striker Masoud Juma has completed a transfer to Saudi Arabian Division One League side Al Jabalain.
The club confirmed the arrival of the former Kariobangi Sharks star through a video posted on their social media platforms. Juma has completed the move from Moroccan side Difaa El Jadidi, although he had been sent on loan to Al Faisaly FC, a club for which he scored eight goals in 13 matches.
Al Faisaly FC is another Saudi Arabian club in the Division One League, and the Harambee Star will get another chance to prove himself in the same competition.
Juma’s former clubs
The former Kenyan Premier League top scorer is an experienced player, having played for Algeria’s JS Kabylie, Cape Town City in the South African Premier Soccer League, and Dibba Al Furajiah of the United Arab Emirates. Before his move to Kabylie, the striker had featured for Al Nasr of Libya.
The centre-forward has also had trials with Swedish clubs AIK and Jonkopings Sodra, and this was followed by another trial stint with South African side Bidvest Wits. He has now sealed a move to another foreign club but Al Jabalain did not give details of his new contract.
In Kenya, Juma has played for Bandari, Sony Sugar, and Sharks in the Premier League, and this is after he had featured for Shabana in the National Super League.
But it was while he was at Kariobangi Sharks that Juma managed to post an impressive goal output. In the Football Kenya Federation Cup campaign of 2017, he found the back of the net five times, including a brace against his former club, Sony Sugar, at Nyayo Stadium.
The brace helped the Eastlands club seal their first-ever appearance in a final, but they were ultimately beaten by AFC Leopards, who were under Robert Matano then.
By scoring 18 goals, Juma won the Golden Boot award, beating Umaru Kasumba, then at Sofapaka, and Ulinzi Stars’ Enosh Ochieng in a tightly contested race in 2018. That season, the Sharks finished in third place.
His move to Saudi Arabia follows high-profile players who have chosen the same path: Cristiano Ronaldo, Ng’olo Kante, Karim Benzema, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, Riyad Mahrez, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Edouard Mendy have all made moves to Saudi Arabia’s Pro League.
Juma at Harambee Stars
Meanwhile, Juma made his senior Harambee Stars debut in 2017 during an African Cup of Nations qualifying match against Sierra Leone. His debut came after he had been called up – but was not available due to an injury sustained at Bandari – for the 2015 African Games qualifying campaign.
Despite the criticism that followed his senior debut, the Harambee Stars’ technical bench maintained confidence in him, and he was handed his second cap in a friendly game against Mauritania two months later. To ease pressure on his shoulders, he scored in the 58th minute.
