Hamza Abdel Karim proved his worth defending the colors of Barcelona's shirt after receiving a call-up from coach Hans Flick to play with the first team and participate in the preparatory training for the new season.
Hamza Abdel Karim had preferred to answer Hans Flick's call and take advantage of the absence of the main squad as they spend their vacation after participating in the World Cup, rather than getting a rest period after the end of the Egyptian national team's run in the round of 16 at the World Cup.
Hamza Abdel Karim received his reward after delivering an eye-catching performance with Barcelona's youth team under coach Paul Blanes, scoring 6 goals in 10 matches, including a hat-trick against Monte Carlo, in addition to receiving his first international call-up from Hossam Hassan to participate with the Egyptian national team at the World Cup.
Hamza Abdel Karim has played two friendly matches so far with Barcelona's first team against Europa FC without scoring any goals, while he scored a brace against Birmingham City. The common factor between them was Hans Flick's trust, who relied on the Egyptian striker as a starter and even gave him more time in the previous match before he left the pitch after scoring the second goal in the 60th minute.
Read also.. Barcelona officials' reaction after Hamza Abdel Karim's brace against Birmingham
Barcelona is suffering at the start of the preparatory period for the next season from a shortage of strikers after Robert Lewandowski's departure to Chicago Fire, while doubts surround the future of Ferran Torres, scorer of Spain's World Cup-winning goal, who is still absent due to the summer vacation. Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid refuses to let go of Julián Álvarez, Barcelona's main target to replace the veteran Pole, at any cost.
Therefore, Hamza Abdel Karim may join a long list of Egyptian players who have participated in the most prestigious tournaments in the UEFA Champions League to solve the attacking deficit crisis, at a time when the young striker seizes the opportunity and exploits it optimally, benefiting from Hans Flick's trust and conviction in his abilities, diligence, and mentality.
The number of Egyptian players throughout history who have participated in the UEFA Champions League has reached 12 players between the preliminary rounds, group stage, and knockout stages, led by Mohamed Salah, along with Mohamed Elneny, Ahmed Hossam Mido, Ahmed Hassan, Hany Ramzy, Samir Kamouna, Ahmed Hassan Koka, Tarek El-Said, Ahmed Hamoudi, Mohamed Zidan, Omar Marmoush, and Omar Gaber.
1- Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah played 108 matches with Liverpool and Basel, scoring 54 goals and providing 21 assists, and won the UEFA Champions League title in the 2018-2019 season.
2- Mohamed Elneny
Mohamed Elneny played 26 matches with Basel and Arsenal across several seasons and scored one goal wearing the English giant's shirt against Barcelona at Camp Nou in the 2015-2016 season.
3- Ahmed Hossam Mido
Ahmed Hossam Mido played 21 matches wearing the shirts of Marseille, Ajax, and Roma, scoring only two goals against Real Madrid and Partizan Belgrade with the French giant during the 2002-2003 season, providing one assist in the 2003-2004 season and two assists in the 2001-2002 and 2004-2005 seasons.
4- Hany Ramzy
Hany Ramzy played 6 matches in the UEFA Champions League with 1. FC Kaiserslautern and was the first Egyptian professional to play in this competition, without scoring any goals in 1998.
5- Samir Kamouna
Samir Kamouna played 6 matches in the UEFA Champions League with 1. FC Kaiserslautern without scoring any goals during the 1998-1999 season.
6- Tarek El-Said
Tarek El-Said played 8 matches with Belgian side Anderlecht without scoring any goals during the 2011-2012 season.
7- Ahmed Hassan
Ahmed Hassan played 12 matches with Beşiktaş and Anderlecht, including 7 with Anderlecht and 5 with Beşiktaş, without managing to score any goals wearing either team's shirt during the 2003-2004 and 2006-2007 seasons. He provided one assist wearing Anderlecht's shirt in the 2007-2008 season.
8- Mohamed Zidan
Mohamed Zidan played only two matches, one for each team, Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund, in the UEFA Champions League without scoring or assisting any goals in the 2011-2012 and 2006-2007 seasons.
9-Ahmed Hamoudi
Ahmed Hamoudi played 4 matches in the UEFA Champions League with Swiss side Basel without scoring any goals during the 2014-2015 season.
10- Ahmed Hassan Koka
Ahmed Hassan Koka played 8 matches wearing Olympiacos's shirt during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons, scoring one goal during the 2020-2021 season.
11-Omar Marmoush
Omar Marmoush played 10 matches with Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League without scoring any goals and providing one decisive pass during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 seasons.
12-Omar Gaber
Omar Gaber played only one match wearing Basel's shirt in the UEFA Champions League without scoring or assisting any goals in the 2016-2017 season.
If Hans Flick decides to call up Hamza Abdel Karim to Barcelona's squad and use him in the UEFA Champions League, he will be able to combine two distinguished statistics as he would become the youngest Egyptian player to participate and score in the history of the UEFA Champions League this season.
Hany Ramzy is considered the first Egyptian player to participate in the history of the UEFA Champions League against Portuguese side Benfica in the group stage at the age of 29, while Mido is the youngest Egyptian player to score in the history of the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid in 2003 wearing Marseille's shirt at the age of 20 years and 9 months. He may become the second Egyptian to score in his first season in the UEFA Champions League after Mohamed Salah, who scored wearing Basel's shirt against Maccabi Haifa in the preliminary round of the 2013-2014 season.
