One of the more intriguing storylines ahead of the World Cup — which kicks off in Mexico City on Thursday, 11 June — comes not from the pitch itself, but from the national team squad announcements.
Over the years, these lists have rarely failed to produce surprises and controversy, most often in the form of high-profile omissions. This time, however, it is an unexpected inclusion that is drawing attention: the decision by Hossam Hassan, the Egyptian football legend now in charge of the national team, to call up Hamza Abdelkarim.
Abdelkarim is currently on Barcelona’s books, where he plays in the youth setup, and has made just nine senior appearances for Al Ahly, the club where he made his professional debut before moving to Spain.
The case inevitably recalls Theo Walcott, included in England’s squad for Germany 2006 despite having played no minutes for Arsenal at the time. Walcott had joined Arsenal that January after a breakthrough start at Southampton, but never made an appearance for Arsène Wenger before the tournament.
Hassan has now named Abdelkarim in Egypt’s final 26-man squad, led by Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, after handing him his international debut in a friendly against Russia just days ago.
For all his limited experience — to put it mildly — Abdelkarim is said to have impressed the coaching staff with his performances and, above all, his long-term potential. The Barcelona forward, who turned 18 in January, had already been identified internally as a strong candidate for selection.
To make room for him, the Egypt coach left out another forward, Aqtai Abdullah.
Formally, Abdelkarim is not yet a Barcelona player on a permanent basis. He is on loan from Al Ahly, the most prominent club in Egyptian football, although Barça reportedly hold a €1.5 million option to make the deal permanent, plus bonuses. In Catalonia, there is already a clear intention to trigger that clause, with the club viewing him as one of their most intriguing long-term bets.
Hansi Flick is also considering including him in first-team pre-season preparations.
In his first four months in Spain, with Barcelona’s Juvenil A side — the equivalent of a Primavera team in Italy — Abdelkarim has scored eight goals in 11 appearances across all competitions.
That alone was enough for Hassan to include him in the final squad heading to the World Cup.
In the United States, Egypt will face Brazil on 6 June in Ohio in their final warm-up before the tournament begins. Their opening match is scheduled for 15 June in Seattle against Belgium, with New Zealand and Iran also in Group G.
For Barcelona, his World Cup involvement represents a significant opportunity to further increase his market value, should he impress on the international stage.
One thing is already certain: there will be plenty of attention on him in the coming days, and curiosity about how he handles football’s biggest stage will be considerable.