Hamza makes history as first Egyptian to play for Barcelona

Hamza Abdelkarim made Egyptian football history when he came off the bench for Barcelona in the club’s 5-2 La Liga victory over Rayo Vallecano.

The 19-year-old entered in the 86th minute after starting the match among the substitutes. Coach Hansi Flick had already included Abdelkarim in Barcelona’s first-team squad for the previous two league games, but waited until the closing stages to hand him his official debut.

Abdelkarim had made a strong case during preseason, scoring four goals. One came against his former club, Al Ahly, in the Joan Gamper Trophy earlier this month. Barcelona then made his move permanent in June, exercising its option to sign him and giving him a contract that runs until June 30, 2029.

The forward had scored six goals in 11 appearances for Barcelona’s youth teams since moving to Spain. His brief appearance against Rayo made him the first Egyptian to play an official match for the Catalan club.

Barcelona’s win left it top of La Liga with nine points, level with Real Madrid but ahead on goal difference. Rayo Vallecano remained 18th after opening the season with three matches without a win.