Barcelona appear to have found a new attacking option in Hamza Abdelkarim during preseason.
Erling Haaland, the inspiration behind Barcelona forward Hamza Abdelkarim
At just 18 years old, the Egyptian striker has made the most of his opportunities with Hansi Flick’s first team and is already beginning to stand out for a quality highly valued in any forward: his ability to get into the box and turn chances into goals.
The striker beginning to win over Flick
Abdelkarim has become Barcelona’s top scorer in preseason with three goals, including two in the friendly played in Birmingham and another against Basel.
His performances did not go unnoticed by Flick, who highlighted one of the qualities he values most in his strikers: the ability to occupy the box correctly.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Egyptian has scored three goals from just five shots on target.
Haaland emerges as one of his biggest references
Abdelkarim has studied videos of Erling Haaland and Viktor Gyökeres to better understand their movement inside and around the penalty area. He has also watched clips of Samuel Eto’o, especially to identify when it is useful to move away from his usual position.
The Manchester City striker’s influence even became a running joke in the dressing room, where some teammates began comparing the young Egyptian to Haaland because of his goalscoring style.
A match with special meaning
Abdelkarim will have the opportunity to play his first match at Spotify Camp Nou against Al Ahly, the club where he began his career and for whose first team he made nine appearances.
The Egyptian side will be Barcelona’s opponent in the Joan Gamper Trophy, making the occasion particularly meaningful for a player whose family supports Al Ahly and who also owned Barça shirts as a child.
Now, after beginning preseason as an alternative in attack, Hamza Abdelkarim is starting to make a case for continuing his development under Flick.
