{{Short description|English-born Malaysian professional footballer (born 1994)}} {{for|the former president of Middlebury College|Samuel Somerville Stratton}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Samuel Somerville | full_name = Samuel Jacob Somerville | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|8|6|df=y}} | birth_place = Farnborough, England | height = | position = Goalkeeper | currentclub = Selangor | clubnumber = 23 | years1 = 2011–2012 | clubs1 = Farnborough | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 2012–2013 | clubs2 = → Godalming Town (loan) | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = 2013–2015 | clubs3 = Slough Town | caps3 = | goals3 = | years4 = 2014 | clubs4 = → Badshot Lea (loan) | caps4 = | goals4 = | years5 = 2015 | clubs5 = Tooting & Mitcham | goals5 = | caps5 = | years6 = 2016–2019 | clubs6 = Johor Darul Ta'zim II | goals6 = 0 | years7 = 2020–2021 | caps6 = 36 | clubs7 = Penang | caps7 = 27 | goals7 = 0 | years8 = 2022– | clubs8 = Selangor | caps8 = 34 | goals8 = 0 | years9 = 2026 | clubs9 = → Melaka (loan) | caps9 = 2 | goals9 = 0 | club-update = 13 August 2024 }}
'''Samuel Jacob Somerville''' (born 6 August 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Malaysia Super League side Melaka, on loan from Selangor. Born and raised in England but with a Malaysian grandmother from Kulim, he took Malaysian nationality in 2015, and was called up for the Malaysia national team in 2021.
==Club career== ===England=== Somerville started his career playing in the youth team of English sixth tier side Farnborough,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Seng-foo |date=24 March 2015 |title=Sam Somerville: It'd be great if I could represent Malaysia alongside Junior Eldstal |work=FourFourTwo |url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/my/features/sam-somerville-itd-be-great-if-i-could-represent-malaysia-alongside-junior-eldstal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403234404/https://www.fourfourtwo.com/my/features/sam-somerville-itd-be-great-if-i-could-represent-malaysia-alongside-junior-eldstal |archive-date=3 April 2015 |publisher=fourfourtwo.com}}</ref> where he first met fellow Malaysian player Junior Eldstål,<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Ficetola">{{cite news |last1=Ficetola |first1=Franco |title='I was into Joga Bonito and did not want to become a keeper' – The remarkable rise of Malaysia custodian Samuel Somerville |url=https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/i-was-into-joga-bonito-and-did-not-want-to-become-a-goalkeeper---inside-the-remarkable-rise-of-malaysia-custodian-samuel-somerville-exclusive/273xnx1z15rg1rtqyqqixn95x |access-date=12 April 2024 |work=Goal |date=8 July 2021}}</ref> In 2012, he went on a season-long loan to Godalming Town in the Division One Central of the Southern League, after which he made 70-plus appearances for Slough Town and had a season with Tooting & Mitcham United.<ref name="PitchingIn">{{cite web |last1=Whitney |first1=Steve |date=9 April 2022 |title=They've Played for Your Club…..Farnborough |url=https://southern-football-league.co.uk/news/131376/They%60ve-Played-for-Your-Cluband8230;Farnborough |access-date=12 April 2024 |website=Pitching In}}</ref>
===Malaysia=== Encouraged by Eldstål,<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Ficetola"/> in 2015 Somerville took Malaysian nationality (he has a Malaysian grandmother from Kulim), and moved to Malaysia, making his first appearances in Malaysian League in the 2015 season, after Johor Darul Ta'zim brought him in along with other heritage players such as Curran Ferns, Stuart Wark, Nick Swirad, Kevin Gunter and Daniel Ting. Somerville played four seasons in the Malaysia Premier League for Johor Darul Ta'zim II, who also won the 2019 Challenge Cup, beating UKM FC in the final.
Before the 2020 season, Somerville signed for Malaysian club Penang.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Zainal |first=Zulhilmi |date=21 October 2020 |title=Somerville looking forward to first ever Super League outing |url=https://www.goal.com/en-my/news/samuel-somerville-looking-forward-to-first-ever-malaysia/a3atsdatw0py1u26l9htte7p6 |access-date=12 April 2024 |website=Goal |publisher=goal.com}}</ref> Somerville recorded four clean sheets in helping Penang win the 2020 Premier League and only conceded eight times in 11 matches.<ref name="Ficetola"/><ref name=":0" /> In Penang's 2021 season he made 16 Super League and two cup appearances.<ref name="Soccerway">{{cite web |title=Samuel Jacob Somerville |url=https://uk.soccerway.com/players/-/201662/ |website=Soccerway |access-date=12 April 2024}}</ref>
On 17 December 2021, Somerville switched sides to join Selangor for the 2022 season,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://selangorfc.com/en/news/3106/OFFICIAL%20%20%20Samuel%20Is%20RED! |title=OFFICIAL : Samuel Is RED! |date=16 December 2021 |access-date=16 February 2021 |website=selangorfc.com |publisher=Selangor FC}}</ref> making 15 league and four cup appearances,<ref name="Soccerway"/> and then 13 league and four cup appearances in the 2023 season.<ref name="Soccerway"/>
In addition to his playing career, Somerville also started a company, SJS Goalkeeping, marketing goalkeeping gloves in Malaysia and Japan.<ref name="Ficetola"/>
==International career==
On 10 May 2021, Somerville received a first call-up from Malaysia as third choice keeper for the World Cup qualifying matches against Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Thailand.<ref name=Ficetola/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fam.org.my/news/siaran-media-senarai-25-pemain-ke-kem-latihan-pusat-skuad-harimau-malaya-bermula-16-mei-2021|title=Siaran Media: Senarai 25 Pemain Ke Kem Latihan Pusat Skuad Harimau Malaya Bermula 16 Mei 2021|language=ms|publisher=Football Association of Malaysia|date=10 May 2021|access-date=11 May 2021}}</ref>
==Honours== '''Godalming Town''' *Surrey Senior Cup: 2012–13
'''Johor Darul Ta'zim II''' *Malaysia Challenge Cup: 2019
'''Penang''' *Malaysia Premier League: 2020
'''Selangor''' * Malaysia Cup runner-up: 2022 *Malaysia Super League runner-up: 2023 *MFL Challenge Cup: 2024–25<ref>{{Cite web |last=BERNAMA |date=2025-02-23 |title=Selangor End 10-Year Wait By Lifting Challenge Cup After Gunning Down PDRM FC 7-0 |url=https://www.bernama.com/en/sports/news.php?id=2395404 |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=BERNAMA |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Soccerway|201662}} * {{Worldfootball.net|samuel-somerville|new_id=pe767380}}
{{Selangor F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somerville, Samuel}} Category:Living people Category:1994 births Category:English people of Malaysian descent Category:21st-century Malaysian sportsmen Category:21st-century English sportsmen Category:Sportspeople from Farnborough, Hampshire Category:English men's footballers Category:Malaysian men's footballers Category:Footballers from Hampshire Category:Men's association football goalkeepers Category:Malaysia Super League players Category:Malaysia Premier League players Category:Penang F.C. players Category:Farnborough F.C. players Category:Slough Town F.C. players Category:Godalming Town F.C. players Category:Tooting & Mitcham United F.C. players Category:English expatriate men's footballers Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Malaysia