Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim can’t get enough of his nickname of “the Haaland of the Nile” after putting pen to paper for another stint at Barcelona.
The 18-year-old player has just signed a contract extension with the Catalan club despite him having played for them on a permanent basis since the summer, having been given a new deal that runs all the way up to 2030 after netting four times during preseason.
In June, Barça exercised an option to make the move permanent, with the striker moving from Egyptian side Al Ahly for an initial fee of €1.5 million ($1.7 million) on a contract until 2029.
After scoring four goals in five friendly appearances, he made his LaLiga debut in August against Rayo Vallecano and has been part of the Barça squad for all six of their fixtures so far this season.
Abdelkarim is currently Barça’s third-choice striker behind Raphina and Gabriel Jesus, although Flick has said Dani Olmo, Anthony Gordon, Fermin Lopez and Karim Adeyemi are also options to play through the middle.
“When someone asks me which players I look up to and learn from, I think Haaland is an amazing striker,” Abdelkarim said after signing the new contract, quoted by ESPN.
“He has a lot of strengths. Always when I watch him, I find something I can learn from him and something I can do to improve my game.
“We all know how good he is at scoring goals. He’s always in the right place. That’s something you can learn. I can see why you’re saying [I am the] Haaland of the Nile.”
However, following a breakout summer with Egypt and Barça’s senior sides, the Spanish champions have moved quickly to extend and improve the teenager’s deal.
Abdelkarim made his senior debut for Egypt in May and went on to feature in four of their five World Cup games as the Pharaohs suffered a round-of-16 exit at the hands of Argentina.
He then returned to Barcelona after minimal time off to take up the opportunity of doing preseason with Hansi Flick’s squad.
