Hamza Abdelkarim: Egypt's star in the service of Barcelona's ambition | Goal.com

Veröffentlicht am 25 Jul 2026 | Lesezeit: 2 Minuten

Brazilian coach Juliano Belletti is counting on Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim to lead the front line for Barcelona Atlètic this season, part of an ambitious project to finally win promotion to the Spanish first division after years of failure.

According to Spanish newspaper "Sport", Belletti is banking on the international experience Abdelkarim picked up at the World Cup. It could prove a genuine springboard for a player expected to make a real difference in a squad short on experience and depth.

A radical shift in the team's philosophy

Under Belletti, Barcelona Atlètic's signing policy has changed radically. Players over the age of 20 have joined the club, a break from recent years. Among them are Ignasi Coure and Juan Ibarra, both 22, alongside young players with league experience such as Jony Hernández.

Ecuadorian full-back José Caicedo could strengthen the side further. He brings experience from the Ecuadorian first division and the Copa Libertadores with LDU Quito, exactly the kind of depth the team badly needs.

Youth backed by experience

The 26 players who began training on 20 July have an average age of 18.8, typical for a youth team. Yet Belletti wants a balance between youth and experience, having carefully analysed the problems that stopped the side going up last season despite fielding players of a quality above the league average.

Pre-season kicks off on 2 August in Vall d'en Bas, where the line-up will look closer to what the Brazilian will have at his disposal throughout the campaign, especially now that several current players have moved up to Hansi Flick's first team.

Abdelkarim's international pedigree, together with the new signings, is the solid foundation Belletti hopes will finally deliver the long-awaited promotion.

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