Mundo Deportivo praised Hansi Flick, the manager of FC Barcelona, for his reliance on players from the Blaugrana academy, led by Hamza Abdelkarim, the star of the Egyptian national team.
Hamza Abdelkarim was promoted to FC Barcelona's first team this season after an impressive pre-season performance in which he scored four goals.
Hamza Abdelkarim's promotion to Barcelona's first team came amid a crisis the Blaugrana are facing in this position, marked by the departures of Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski, before the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal on the final day of the summer transfer window.
Mundo Deportivo confirmed that Hamza Abdelkarim, along with 11 other La Masia academy graduates, namely Marc Bernal, Sergi Dominguez, Andres Cuinca, Tony Fernandez, Dani Rodriguez, Jofrey Torrents, Dru, Tommy Marquez, Xavi Espar, and Alvaro Cortes.
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Mundo Deportivo stated about Hamza Abdelkarim: "Hamza Abdelkarim was supposed to play for Barcelona B after joining from Al Ahly during the January winter transfer window, but registration issues led to his participation with the under-19 team managed by Pol Planes."
It added: "Hamza Abdelkarim's performances quickly impressed Barcelona, and just six months after signing with him, specifically in June, the Blaugrana exercised the final purchase option for 1.5 million euros plus add-ons. Hamza made his appearance as a second-half substitute against Rayo Vallecano last Monday in the Spanish league."
It clarified that Hamza is the latest academy player to feature under Flick's management, and the Egyptian international is striving to prove himself with the Blaugrana and make history with the Spanish club.
It further noted that Bernal was the first La Masia player to be relied upon as a starter by Flick with Barcelona, featuring in the La Liga match against Valencia on August 24, 2024. This season has seen the participation of other La Masia players, including Sergi Dominguez, Andres Cuinca, Tony Fernandez, and Dani Rodriguez, while last season, 2025/2026, saw the participation of Jofrey Torrents, Dru, Tommy Marquez, Xavi Espar, and Alvaro Cortes.
