Barcelona: Egyptian prodigy Hamza Abdelkrim is already shining

FC Barcelona may have unearthed one of the pleasant surprises of their preseason preparations. In his first appearance with the first team, young Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkrim immediately caught the eye by scoring a brace against Birmingham.

At just 18 years old, the young striker showed no signs of nerves in his debut for Barcelona. Starting against the English side, he quickly made his mark, proving dangerous in the opposition's penalty area. He notably won and converted a penalty himself, before finding the back of the net a second time.

Thanks in particular to his clinical finishing, Barça managed to hold Birmingham to a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation time, before ultimately losing 3-2 in the penalty shootout. It was a particularly successful debut for the Egyptian prodigy, who thus impressed the Catalan coaching staff.

After the match, the Egyptian striker did not hide his satisfaction. "It's incredible, of course. I'm very happy and I hope that the team and I can continue to work and progress with each match," he said.

Aware of the intensity of the match, the young player also praised his opponent's performance. "Birmingham was a tough, very physical team, and that showed on the pitch," he acknowledged.

This performance could be a turning point in the young career of Hamza Abdelkrim, who was the youngest Egyptian player at the 2026 World Cup. Arriving with the ambition of securing a place in the first team, the Egyptian has already sent a strong message in his very first opportunity. Now he needs to confirm this in upcoming matches and definitively convince the Barcelona staff.