Hamza Abdelkarim trains alone at Camp Nou after Barcelona’s win over Racing Santander

Hamza Abdelkarim trained alone at Camp Nou in heavy rain, lightning and thunder after Barcelona’s 7-2 victory over Racing Santander.

The Barcelona forward watched the match from the substitutes’ bench before completing an individual session on the pitch once the game had finished. Players who do not feature in matches commonly train after the final whistle.

The Egypt international has made one first-team appearance this season, coming on for five minutes against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. He has remained an unused substitute in Barcelona’s other matches since the campaign began.

Abdelkarim is included in Barcelona’s squad for the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League and has ambitions of winning trophies, scoring goals and playing in the 2029 final at Camp Nou.

Barcelona held a presentation for the striker on Tuesday after extending his contract until 2030. Speaking at a news conference, Abdelkarim said: “It is a dream to be at this club and represent it. Playing time is the manager’s decision and I respect that. I work every day to improve myself. I need time to become better and help the team. I know my time to play will come, and I have to be ready for it.”

“I am a striker and, of course, I want to score goals,” he added. “There are other players who can score, such as Raphinha and Lamine. My role is to score goals.”

Abdelkarim said he wanted to learn from leading forwards around the world and rejected suggestions that his limited involvement was linked to his contract negotiations.

“There are many good forwards and I want to enjoy this,” he said. “Estpart has been outstanding this summer, which is why he is playing. I do not think it is connected to the negotiations over my contract, although some people say that.”

He added: “I do not think it is about pressure, but confidence. I am proud of my people for supporting me and I try to make them prouder with my performances.”

The striker praised Barcelona’s coaching staff and squad, saying: “I have felt the support of everyone on the coaching staff from the first day. The dressing room is like a family. They look for ways to improve my performance and help me develop. I look forward to coming to training every morning.”

On the prospect of Camp Nou hosting the 2029 Champions League final, he said: “It would be great, even incredible, to be able to play in 2029 and especially to see those trophies in this room. But my focus is on this year and preparing for the Champions League this season.”

Asked who deserved the Ballon d’Or, Abdelkarim said several Barcelona players were worthy winners but added: “We all agree that Lamine deserves it. I am very happy to play with him every day.”

He said his immediate objectives were to score, work hard and develop with the team, while acknowledging that he still needed to adapt to Barcelona’s distinctive style.

“I want to score goals and win trophies, especially the Champions League,” he said. “But I prefer to talk about goals rather than dreams, because that is how I see things.”

Abdelkarim also said he would not be embarrassed if he played for the reserve side, stressing the importance of gaining minutes, scoring, training with the first team and proving himself “wherever that may be with the first team, the reserves or the national team”.

He welcomed the nickname “Haaland of the Nile”, saying Erling Haaland was “a great striker” whose positioning and finishing could provide lessons for others.

His first Barcelona memory was watching the club’s emphatic win over Paris Saint-Germain at home with his brother. “When I learned they wanted me, it was very exciting,” he said.

Barcelona reached an agreement to sign Abdelkarim permanently until June 2030 after initially bringing him from Al Ahly on loan on 1 February 2026.

He made his youth-team debut at Huesca on 8 March and scored. In nine league appearances, he found the net six times, including a hat-trick in the 9-0 win over Monte Carlo on the day Barcelona won the top-flight title.

Barcelona activated the permanent purchase clause in summer 2026, after Abdelkarim had represented Egypt at the 2026 World Cup. He then joined Hans-Dieter Flick’s first-team preparations, finishing the period as top scorer with four goals.

On 31 August, he made his competitive first-team debut against Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou.