{"id":3936,"date":"2026-09-16T22:14:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T22:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportbulletin.top\/?p=3936"},"modified":"2026-09-16T22:14:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T22:14:28","slug":"nile-haaland-speaks-hamza-abdelkarim-on-his-city-idol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportbulletin.top\/?p=3936","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Nile Haaland\u2019 speaks: Hamza Abdelkarim on his City idol"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Hamza Abdelkarim<\/a> 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<\/a> have already started calling him the \u2018Haaland of the Nile\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At just 18 years old<\/strong>, Abdelkarim has just received a major show of support from Barcelona. The Blaugrana club renewed his contract until 2030<\/strong>, improved his financial terms, and significantly increased his release clause, which now exceeds \u20ac100 million<\/strong>, according to sources cited by ESPN.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Abdelkarim explains why he admires Haaland<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHaaland is an incredible striker.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Abdelkarim especially highlighted his ability to find space and appear in the right place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHe has a lot of qualities. Every time I watch him, I find something I can learn from and something I can do to improve my game.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The Egyptian also understands the comparison that has emerged around him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe all know how good he is at scoring goals. He\u2019s always in the right place. That\u2019s something you can learn from. I understand why you say I\u2019m the \u2018Haaland of the Nile\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Barcelona moves quickly to tie down its new gem<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Abdelkarim arrived at Barcelona in January from Al Ahly<\/strong>, initially with the intention of joining the reserve team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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However, his progress was faster than expected, and he ended up playing for the Under-19 side during last season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In June, Barcelona activated the option to sign the striker permanently for an initial fee of \u20ac1.5 million<\/strong>, at that point giving him a contract until 2029.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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His progress over the last few months led the club to quickly rethink those terms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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During preseason, Abdelkarim scored four goals in five matches<\/strong>, performances that increased the excitement surrounding a player Bar\u00e7a sees as one for the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

From Egypt to Bar\u00e7a\u2019s first team<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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The striker\u2019s rise has not been limited to club football either.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Abdelkarim made his debut for the Egypt national team<\/strong> in May and later was part of the squad that played in the 2026 World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The forward featured in four of the Pharaohs\u2019 five matches<\/strong> during the tournament, which ended for Egypt in the round of 16 against Argentina.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He then returned to Barcelona and used preseason to convince Hansi Flick<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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His LaLiga<\/a> debut came in August against Rayo Vallecano, and since then he has been included in the first-team squads.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Competition will be tough at Barcelona<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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For now, Abdelkarim occupies a secondary role in Bar\u00e7a\u2019s attacking competition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Raphinha and Gabriel Jesus<\/strong> are ahead of him, while Flick is also considering alternatives such as Dani Olmo, Anthony Gordon, Ferm\u00edn L\u00f3pez and Karim Adeyemi<\/strong> for central attacking positions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hamza Abdelkarim is still taking his first steps with the first team, but Barcelona has already decided to lock him down. The \u2018Haaland of the Nile\u2019 is now beginning a new chapter with the pressure and expectation that come with being one of the club\u2019s most exciting young prospects.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8 here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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