Barcelona tell Hamza Abdelkarim: ‘Born in Egypt, destined for Barca’

Barcelona have sent a fresh message to young Egyptian player Hamza Abdelkarim ahead of the official signing of his new contract with the Catalan club.

The agreement, announced by Barcelona last Friday, will keep Abdelkarim at the club until 2030. The contract-signing ceremony is due to take place on Tuesday.

Before the event, Barcelona published a photograph of Abdelkarim on their official X account. The image showed the player standing in front of one of Egypt’s pyramids and the Sphinx, alongside the caption: “Born in Egypt. Destined for Barca.”

Abdelkarim joined Barcelona from Egyptian club Al Ahly in January, initially moving to Spain on a six-month loan with the reserve team. Barcelona later decided to activate the option to make the transfer permanent for €1.5m.

The young Egyptian impressed during the first team’s preparations for the new season, scoring four goals in five matches. His performances persuaded German manager Hansi Flick and Barcelona’s officials that he should remain with the club on a permanent basis.

Abdelkarim has been named among Barcelona’s substitutes in every match since the beginning of the current season. He has made one appearance, playing a few minutes in the club’s emphatic 5-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano on matchday three of La Liga.

The 2026 World Cup was also a significant moment in Abdelkarim’s early career. He was part of the Egypt squad that reached the last 16, as the Pharaohs achieved that stage of the competition for the first time in their history.

Barcelona’s latest message came as the club prepared to formalise a deal that reflects the rapid progress made by the Egypt international since his move from Al Ahly.