FIFA names Barcelona youngster Hamza Abdelkarim among seven rising stars | OneFootball

Although more established players like Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi have taken most of the spotlight, another offensive addition that would excite FC Barcelona fans quite a lot is the Egyptian youngster Hamza Abdelkarim.

The young forward has been making some significant strides in his development in recent months, and, in addition to finalizing his permanent move to the Blaugrana club, also played with his Egypt national side in the 2026 World Cup this summer. Furthermore, he has also shone with the Catalan team in some friendly games this preseason.

Meanwhile, as SPORT has noted, his good growth and development have also been recognized by FIFA. The global football governing body published a list of seven players who stood out in last year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar who continue to take notable steps in their careers a year later.

Other players included in this list are Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union), Rémi Himbert (Olympique Lyon), Mathew Baker (Melbourne City), Noah Fernandez (PSV Eindhoven) and Ze Lucas (Cruzeiro).

Abdelkarim’s performances in the last U-17 World Cup was one of the main reasons why Barcelona decided to bet on him. He scored two goals in four matches in that tournament, and after that, the Catalans decided to land him on loan in February. The Egyptian took full advantage of this loan, as he convinced the Blaugranes to sign him permanently after his six goals in nine appearances for the Juvenil A team.

However, his most notable achievement so far in his career remains the World Cup 2026, for which he was called up by Hossam Hassan, and he was not only one of the players to complete the squad but he got to play four of the five games his team played till the Round of 16.

he also scored a brace in the training match against Birmingham City. Next season, he will have a good opportunity to get important minutes with the first team, especially as there is a clear space for a center-forward in Hansi Flick’s squad.