Barcelona praise Hamza Abdelkarim after outstanding Basel performance

Barcelona have once again heaped praise on Egyptian youngster Hamza Abdelkarim after his impressive performance in the club’s 5-2 pre-season victory over Basel on Sunday.

The 18-year-old forward continued his strong pre-season campaign by making an immediate impact after coming off the bench in the second half.

Abdelkarim replaced Anthony Gordon and needed just three minutes to make his mark, scoring Barcelona’s second goal of the game to further underline his growing reputation within the Catalan club.

His performance has attracted further attention from Barcelona, who took to their official X account to highlight the Egyptian’s goalscoring qualities.

The club posted a picture of Abdelkarim kissing the Barcelona badge after scoring against Basel, accompanied by the message: “Hamza Abdelkarim has the ability to score goals, lots of them really.”

The latest praise comes after Abdelkarim impressed throughout Barcelona’s pre-season preparations, having featured in all of the team’s matches so far.

His consistent performances have strengthened his chances of earning opportunities with Hansi Flick’s first team when the new season gets underway.

The Egyptian youngster could become particularly important to Flick’s plans following Ferran Torres’ move to Paris Saint-Germain and the current lack of a natural striker in the squad.

Abdelkarim’s development has therefore emerged as one of the most interesting storylines of Barcelona’s pre-season, with the teenager continuing to demonstrate his ability to make an impact whenever given an opportunity.

Barcelona are scheduled to face Abdelkarim’s former club, Al Ahly, on Wednesday, August 19, in the Joan Gamper Trophy at Camp Nou.

The fixture could provide another opportunity for the Egyptian youngster to impress against a club he knows well, while further strengthening his case for a place in Flick’s first-team plans.

With Barcelona already publicly highlighting his goalscoring instincts, expectations around Abdelkarim are continuing to rise as the new season approaches.