Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim is no longer just one of Barcelona's most prominent bets for the future.
His rapid development over recent months has taken his name well beyond the Catalan club's surroundings, according to Sport newspaper.
FIFA have shone a light on his rise, naming the Egyptian striker among seven young talents who lit up the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar.
The world governing body ranks Hamza's development alongside six other emerging names who also made their mark at that tournament: Samuel Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union), Remy Himbert (Lyon), Matthew Baker (Melbourne City), Noah Fernandez (Eindhoven) and Ze Lucas (Cruzeiro).
Hamza's story explains the attention. His displays at the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar were among the main reasons Barcelona moved to sign a striker who had already impressed in the youth ranks at Egypt's Al-Ahly.
For the Egypt national team, he scored two goals in four matches at that tournament. His development did not stop when the World Cup ended.
Barcelona completed his signing on loan last February. Hamza needed only nine matches with the youth team to prove himself, scoring six goals and playing an important role in the final stage of the season.
His real leap came when Hossam Hassan called him up for the 2026 World Cup. Hamza did not go simply to make up Egypt's squad. He featured in four of the five matches played by an Egypt side who reached the round of 16.
That experience accelerated a career already moving fast. While he was away with his country, confirmation arrived that Barcelona had activated the purchase option in his contract, initially set at 1.5 million euros and rising to as much as 6.5 million euros depending on variables and incentives.
