ATLANTA (Special envoy).- Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona coincided at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. One on the field, the other on the bench, the two greatest icons in Argentine football history coexisted for an unforgettable month. Egypt is experiencing a similar story, albeit with a difference: Mohamed Salah and Hamza Abdelkarim, the 18-year-old forward already hailed as his heir, are part of the same squad.
Nicknamed «the new Salah,» Abdelkarim has already seen minutes in all four tournament matches, and Barcelona paid €1.5 million for his transfer, a figure that could rise to €6.5 million with add-ons, to secure one of African football’s biggest prospects. Born on January 1, 2008, in Cairo, he trained at Al-Ahly and in 2025 became the youngest player to represent the club in the 21st century, at 17 years and five days.
Shortly after, he was called up to the U-17 national team for the Africa Cup of Nations. There he scored two goals, and in the playoff that decided one of the last spots for the U-17 World Cup, he scored the goal that gave Egypt qualification against Angola. At the U-17 World Cup, he captained the side, played three matches, scored two goals, and provided one assist.
He made his senior national team debut in May, just weeks before this World Cup, and in the round of 32 match against Australia, he became the first player in tournament history to participate without having debuted in the top division and with experience only in youth teams. At Barcelona, he has not yet played for either the B team or the first team, although two weeks ago the club exercised the purchase option included in the loan and signed him until June 2029, the maximum term allowed by regulations for players under 18.
In Egypt, many see Hamza Abdelkarim as Salah’s successor. Not so much for his playing style, beyond the fact that both are forwards, but for what he could represent for the national team in the coming years, when the current Liverpool striker, 34, is no longer part of the squad. Hamza is a modern «9,» who drops deep to participate in buildup and offer himself between the lines, but also shows very good finishing ability, with a surprising variety of resources for a player his age. Additionally, while not exceptionally fast, he is very decisive in the final meters and stands out for his movements to attack spaces, lose his marker, and face the goalkeeper.
His call-up to this World Cup was a direct consequence of his outstanding performance in Barcelona’s youth academy, where he scored five goals in seven matches and won the Division de Honor. That level earned him a spot in Egypt’s final squad, despite the fact that, logically, he had not been part of the process until the last FIFA window before the tournament, in which he earned his first minutes with the senior team in a win over Russia and a loss to Brazil.
«Salah has been incredibly supportive from day one. He constantly shares his vast experience with everyone. I try to absorb as much as I can; his career is truly legendary, and sharing the pitch with him is a dream come true,» explained Abdelkarim, who idolizes his teammate and has already shared minutes with him against New Zealand in the group stage and against Australia in the match prior to the Argentina clash. «Having a career like Salah’s would be indescribable. Being by his side is a dream and an honor for me,» he added. The forward, who has a past with Chelsea, Fiorentina, and Roma, invited him to spend time in his room and, as a welcome gift to the national team, gave him a signed shirt.
In principle, Abdelkarim will not start against Argentina, although he appears as an option for the final minutes, as has been the case in all matches of this World Cup, where he has never played more than 15 minutes. Egypt, moreover, has yet to find a designated goalscorer: its five goals in the tournament have been scored by five different players. After the 1-1 draw with Iran, part of the African press even called for him to start.
«When I step onto the field, I do what makes me happy, so I don’t care what others say or do off the pitch. My focus is on the field,» said the striker, who also showed character when asked about the challenge of facing Scaloni’s Argentina, led by one of the best players in the world: «We play against Argentina, not against Messi.»
Wearing the number 9 on his back, Abdelkarim will seek to make his mark in the most high-profile match of his career, none other than against the world champion, with the dream of following in Salah’s footsteps but writing his own story.
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Para mí este pibe egipcio es un invento del sistema, Messi es el pueblo en armas con la 10, la maquinaria popular los va a pasar por arriba. Me parece que ni van a respirar, imperialistas de cuarta, a llorar a la cancha de los faraones.
Para mí este pibe egipcio no frena ni a un carrito de supermercado. La Scaloneta les pasa por arriba como un tanque. Messi los va a hacer mierda. Vamos Argentina carajo, a demostrar quién manda. Estos muertos de hambre no nos ganan ni en pedo.