Barcelona’s Hamza Abdelkarim: The unique routine of the Egypt Under-? striker in Catalonia

“Hamza Abdelkarim’s situation at Barcelona is uniquely unusual,” says Spanish newspaper Sport, which has revealed how the young Egypt international spends his days in Catalonia.

The 18-year-old is the only Barcelona player who leaves the club’s facilities on foot, rather than by car with his team-mates. He lives in accommodation provided by the club for its young players, directly opposite the training centre in Sant Joan Despi.

Hamza is regularly seen taking photographs with supporters who gather outside the facilities hoping to see Barcelona’s stars. According to Sport, he does not turn down any of their requests.

The forward recently renewed his contract with Barcelona until 2030. The new agreement includes a release clause of up to 150m euros.

Monى Abdelkarim, a member of the Egyptian Volleyball Federation board and Hamza’s aunt, provided further details of the deal.

“Hamza Abdelkarim’s contract has been extended until 2030, with the possibility of adding another year depending on Hamza’s contributions to the Catalan team,” she wrote on her page.

She added that the release clause had been increased from 15m euros to 120m euros until 2030, rising to 150m euros if the additional year is activated.

From Al Ahly to Barcelona’s first team

Hamza joined Barcelona from Al Ahly on loan on 1 February 2026, initially until the end of the season.

He made his first appearance for the club’s youth team on 8 March at Huesca, scoring in the match. Across nine league appearances, he scored six goals, including a hat-trick in a 9-0 victory over Monte Carlo on the day Barcelona were crowned champions of the top division.

Barcelona made the move permanent in the summer of 2026, after Hamza had featured at the 2026 World Cup. The striker then took part in pre-season with the first team under manager Hansi Flick.

He finished the preparation period as Barcelona’s top scorer after netting four goals. On 31 August, he made his competitive first-team debut against Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou.

Barcelona activated the purchase option for 1.5m euros, payable in two instalments, according to details previously reported by FilGoal.com.

Al Ahly can receive a further 3m-5m euros depending on Hamza’s appearances and goals for Barcelona’s first team and reserve side. The Egyptian club also retains a 15% share of any future sale.

Hamza came on as a substitute for the final nine minutes against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. That appearance made him the third Egyptian to play in the competition, after Ahmed Hossam Mido with Celta Vigo and Haitham Hassan with Real Oviedo.

He is also included in Barcelona’s squad for the 2026-27 Champions League.