‘Nile Haaland’ speaks: Hamza Abdelkarim on his City idol | OneFootball

Hamza Abdelkarim is not bothered by comparisons. On the contrary, the young Egyptian striker acknowledges that Erling Haaland is one of his biggest inspirations and understands why people in Barcelona have already started calling him the ‘Haaland of the Nile’.

At just 18 years old, Abdelkarim has just received a major show of support from Barcelona. The Blaugrana club renewed his contract until 2030, improved his financial terms, and significantly increased his release clause, which now exceeds €100 million, according to sources cited by ESPN.

The striker has developed rapidly since arriving at the Catalan side, and his performances during preseason ultimately convinced the club to invest even more heavily in his future.

Abdelkarim explains why he admires Haaland

The nickname that is beginning to follow him has an explanation. The player himself admitted that the Manchester City Norwegian striker is one of the players he watches most closely to learn from.

Abdelkarim especially highlighted his ability to find space and appear in the right place.

The Egyptian also understands the comparison that has emerged around him.

Barcelona moves quickly to tie down its new gem

Abdelkarim arrived at Barcelona in January from Al Ahly, initially with the intention of joining the reserve team.

However, his progress was faster than expected, and he ended up playing for the Under-19 side during last season.

In June, Barcelona activated the option to sign the striker permanently for an initial fee of €1.5 million, at that point giving him a contract until 2029.

His progress over the last few months led the club to quickly rethink those terms.

During preseason, Abdelkarim scored four goals in five matches, performances that increased the excitement surrounding a player Barça sees as one for the future.

From Egypt to Barça’s first team

The striker’s rise has not been limited to club football either.

Abdelkarim made his debut for the Egypt national team in May and later was part of the squad that played in the 2026 World Cup.

The forward featured in four of the Pharaohs’ five matches during the tournament, which ended for Egypt in the round of 16 against Argentina.

He then returned to Barcelona and used preseason to convince Hansi Flick.

His LaLiga debut came in August against Rayo Vallecano, and since then he has been included in the first-team squads.

Competition will be tough at Barcelona

For now, Abdelkarim occupies a secondary role in Barça’s attacking competition.

Raphinha and Gabriel Jesus are ahead of him, while Flick is also considering alternatives such as Dani Olmo, Anthony Gordon, Fermín López and Karim Adeyemi for central attacking positions.

Even so, the extension until 2030 and the increase in his release clause show that Barcelona does not want to take any risks with one of its promising young players.

Hamza Abdelkarim is still taking his first steps with the first team, but Barcelona has already decided to lock him down. The ‘Haaland of the Nile’ is now beginning a new chapter with the pressure and expectation that come with being one of the club’s most exciting young prospects.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.