BARCELONA: The Joan Gamper Trophy has inaugurated FC Barcelona’s league season for the past seven decades. Every August, the Catalan giants go to great lengths to line up a marquee opponent, and this year they invited the biggest club in Africa and the Arab world — Al-Ahly SC.
When the friendly was announced, few could have imagined that an 18-year-old Egyptian would be the talk of Blaugrana fans the world over.
The striker scored the opening goal as Barcelona fended off a second-half surge from Al-Ahly to win 2-1 and lift the Joan Gamper Trophy in front of their fans. There were cheers for the club’s World Cup winners — Dani Olmo, Pedri, and Gavi — when they appeared on the touchline for warm-ups during the first half. The biggest cheer on the night, however, was reserved for Hamza Abdelkarim’s goal, which was also applauded by the Egyptians who had come to support Al-Ahly. The only man at Camp Nou who wasn’t celebrating was Abdelkarim, who put his hands up in apology for having scored against his boyhood club.
Four goals in six preseason matches for the striker confirm his status as Barcelona’s leading scorer of the 2026-27 preseason. The team’s German manager, Hansi Flick, has confirmed that Abdelkarim will be in the squad on Sunday as Barcelona travel to Elche in the first game of their La Liga title defense. It is an impressive feat for a player who has not played a minute with Barcelona’s reserve team, let alone the first team.
The young Egyptian’s rise to fame has been equal parts swift and surprising. At this time last year, Abdelkarim was known only by the type of internet sleuths who track youth football and try to project the future.
When the striker was sent on loan to Barcelona by then-owners Al-Ahly in February, not much was expected of the teenager. The details of the deal were like many low-risk punts the La Liga giants had taken on youngsters from the world over. Barcelona would only offer a permanent contract if the striker could prove himself with the U-19 side. Abdelkarim had scored goals for fun for Egypt’s U-17 national team, notching 12 in 19 appearances, but had yet to score a goal for the U-20s or for Al-Ahly’s first team.
A delay in his paperwork getting processed limited his season to just seven games with Barcelona’s U-19s, but he made the most of those games — scoring five times. Despite the small sample size, Egypt manager Hossam Hassan saw a talent worth gambling on.
When Egypt’s World Cup squad was released in late May, the uncapped teenager was included at the expense of Mostafa Mohammed — a striker with over 60 caps for Egypt and half a decade of experience playing in Europe.
Barcelona were also convinced of his quality and made his move permanent by offering Al-Ahly $1.75 million plus bonuses for his services.
The six weeks Abdelkarim spent with Egypt’s national team further fast-tracked his development.
“Mohammed Salah is always talking to me, and I follow everything he says; he is an example to be followed, and the success he achieved is not by accident,” the striker said of his time at the World Cup, where he appeared in four of Egypt’s five matches.
Despite the country’s footballing success on the African continent, there have been only a handful of Egyptians at the top echelons of European football. Many have been quick to compare Abdelkarim’s trajectory with that of Salah, but the comparison does not quite fit.
Salah’s talent somehow eluded the two giants of Egyptian football — Zamalek and Al-Ahly — and a jump to European football only came after logging 40 matches for Arab Contractors across three seasons.
A more apt comparison is that of Mido, the Zamalek wunderkind who left Egypt at the turn of the century to join Gent. Not only do the two share a similar style of play, but their backgrounds are also remarkably similar as well. Many Egyptian footballers hail from the towns and villages surrounding major cities or from the working-class neighborhoods of Cairo.
Like Mido, Abdelkarim’s family were wealthy enough to provide their son with a private education, which in turn helped him learn English. Previous foreign exposure in the shape of four years spent living in Kuala Lumpur would also help the striker adapt quickly to life in Spain and avoid the pitfalls of homesickness.
While his talent was evident early on, there were other intangibles that hinted at future success. Chris Nathan coached Abdelkarim during his years in the Malaysian capital and noted that the striker already had the traits of a professional.
“What impressed us most was not just his technical ability, but his willingness to learn, his competitiveness, and his desire to give 100 percent at every session. Even as a youngster, he showed maturity beyond his years and never backed down against tougher opposition.”
That approach sets him apart from Mido, whose inability to avoid controversy led to acrimonious departures from Ajax and several other big clubs. The indelible image of Egypt’s most talented No. 9 remains his irate reaction to Hassan Shehata’s decision to substitute him in the 2006 AFCON semifinal against Senegal. He went on to play just six matches for Egypt after that.
While Mido was easy fodder for the tabloids, Abdelkarim is very much a man of few words. On Wednesday night, his post-match interview with Egyptian outlet OnSport featured curt responses delivered in a soft tone. When fans started chanting his name mid-interview, he giggled sheepishly, waved, and tried his best to get on with his media duties.
“Hamza is amazing, well-mannered, professional, a great mentality. As a player, he is phenomenal: very strong, great physique, he plays intelligently and has an impressive jump. Look out for him in the future,” were the words of Egypt’s national team goalkeeper Moustafa Shobeir, who was on the receiving end of Abdelkarim’s goal at Camp Nou.
The future might arrive sooner than expected for the striker. Robert Lewandowski left Barcelona for Chicago Fire on a free transfer, and Ferran Torres was sold to PSG. An attempt to pay a hefty transfer fee in installments saw the club fail to pry Julian Alvarez from rivals Atletico de Madrid, leaving the club with less than two weeks to strengthen that position.
The financial crisis that has hovered over the club for the past five years has limited its ability in the transfer market, but it has also forced the club to return to its roots and promote its homegrown talent. That was the secret to the team’s back-to-back La Liga titles. Abdelkarim’s goals might just deliver the team a third consecutive title for the first time since Pep Guardiola’s departure.
