Eighteen-year-old striker Hamza Abdelkarim announced himself with two goals on his senior debut for Barcelona in the pre-season game against Birmingham City.
He is one of the young players looking to make their mark in the first team this season, and many within the Barcelona camp believe the club may have struck gold.
Barcelona are in desperate need of a striker. After four years at the club, Robert Lewandowski left when his contract expired at the end of the season and this summer transfer window has been dominated by the search for his successor.
They have bid €100m for Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, but Atletico have maintained the stance that the Argentine is not for sale. They have even taken the measure of reporting Barcelona to the Spanish football federation for apparently improper approaches and communication with the striker.
The answer to Barcelona’s search might prove to come from within though. The club scouted Abdelkarim during the U-17 World Cup in 2025, where his performances convinced them that he possessed the kind of striker’s talent rarely found in their youth players at La Masia.
Hamza Abdelkarim is back from the World Cup. 🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/K979xlfc1N
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 15, 2026
He joined from Al Ahly on an initial loan in February 2026 before Barcelona exercised their €1.5m option to buy in June. Visa delays postponed Abdelkarim’s debut for Barcelona Atletic but he soon made his mark, scoring six goals in 11 appearances in the second half of the season to help the youth side win the league title.
In May, Egypt promoted him to the senior squad for the World Cup, making him the country’s youngest player to appear at the tournament when he came on as a substitute against Belgium in their first game.
The man of the hour, Hamza Abdelkarim 🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/ulP1ccnafK
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 1, 2026
A central part of Abdelkarim’s game is his physical profile. Standing tall at 1.82m, he has physical strength but is also mobile. His greatest strength, however, is inside the penalty box, where he possesses the typical striker’s sharpness and poacher’s instinct.
Coaches have been working with him to improve his movement outside the area and his link-up play, which he is weak in unlike Barcelona’s traditional youth players from La Masia.
Within the club there is confidence that his technical understanding of the game will continue to improve through training. Coaches already see encouraging progress in those aspects of the game and they believe he can get even better.
The player has also impressed coaches, including Hansi Flick, with his mentality. He is described by those who know him as someone who rarely feels satisfied with previous achievements and constantly searches for the next target.
It was that attitude that helped him move quickly from Al Ahly to Barcelona’s youth teams and then Egypt’s World Cup squad. Now he is in the senior team and part of Flick’s plans.
