Barcelona forward Hamza Abdelkarim impresses with goals and Haaland-inspired style

Barcelona teenager Hamza Abdelkarim has made an early impression on the first team, with his goalscoring instincts and movement drawing praise from manager Hansi Flick and comparisons with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

The 18-year-old forward has scored three goals so far during pre-season, including two in the friendly against Birmingham. Flick highlighted Abdelkarim’s ability to occupy dangerous positions in the penalty area while also contributing to the build-up with clever movement and one-touch play.

“As a striker, you have to show up inside the penalty area, and that is what he did today. That is what I ask from the number nine,” Flick said after the Birmingham match.

Abdelkarim’s performances have attracted attention from Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, which has compared his involvement in play with Robert Lewandowski’s contribution during his final season.

Lewandowski averaged 8.6 passes per game, while Abdelkarim completed eight passes against Basel and nine against Birmingham. Those are the only two friendly matches for which data is available.

The Polish striker averaged 19 touches per match. Abdelkarim recorded nine touches during 45 minutes against Basel and 24 touches in 62 minutes against Birmingham.

On that basis, the young forward’s involvement in the game is slightly higher than Lewandowski’s. He has also converted three of his five attempts on target.

Abdelkarim’s first training session with Barcelona included a finishing exercise designed by the coaching staff to assess the Egyptian striker. He impressed them immediately, with his ability to finish from diagonal angles and attack the near post in the manner of a traditional number nine.

“When he played his first header, we said, ‘Wow,’” people present at the session recalled.

The Barcelona coaching staff also noticed how frequently Abdelkarim dropped deep to receive the ball, a feature shared by several of the club’s forwards. Paul Planas and his staff have worked with him on choosing the right moments to move away from the penalty area, helping to create space and provide a passing option.

However, the coaches want him to remain a regular presence inside the box, in line with Flick’s expectations of his central striker.

To reinforce those ideas, Planas’ staff used video clips of Haaland and Viktor Gyokeres, as well as selected footage of former Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o. The latter clips were intended to show Abdelkarim when it is effective for a striker to move away from his usual position.

The comparison with Haaland has even become a source of dressing-room humour. Abdelkarim’s Barcelona team-mates have started singing “Hamza… Hamza” to the tune of the popular “Haaland… Haaland” chant.

The teenager is due to play in Barcelona’s final pre-season friendly next Wednesday, when he will make his first appearance at Spotify Camp Nou. The match will have added significance because the opponents are his former club, Al Ahly.

Abdelkarim’s family supports the Egyptian club. His father previously represented Egypt in volleyball, while Abdelkarim owned Barcelona shirts as a child. He has already made nine appearances for Al Ahly’s first team.