"New Salah" at Camp Nou: Barca sign Egyptian wonderkid and Mo's protégé

Hamza Abdelkarim couldn't have wished for a better few days!

Last week, he debuted for the Egypt national team at the World Cup in a 1-1 draw against Belgium. Yesterday, he featured in the Pharaohs' first-ever World Cup victory, a 3-1 win over New Zealand that put them on the brink of the knockout stage. And today, good news came for him at the club level as well.

Just a few hours ago, Barcelona announced on their official website that they were exercising the purchase option and bringing Abdelkarim on a permanent basis from Al Ahly Cairo for €1.5 million.

The 18-year-old had joined the Catalans back in February on loan from the Egyptian giants and has spent the last four months with Barca's U-19A side. He went on to play 11 games, scoring six goals and impressing everyone at Camp Nou.

Therefore, Barcelona's decision to keep him and hand him a contract until 2029 comes as little surprise.

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Abdelkarim has been dubbed the "new Salah" and one of the biggest talents in Egyptian football, earning him a World Cup call-up from Hossam Hassan. Despite his young age, he clocked 14 minutes in each of the two Pharaohs games in the tournament, becoming their youngest-ever player at Mundials.

Hamza Abdelkarim comes off the bench for Mohamed Salah in Egypt's World Cup game against Belgium (©Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Over the last couple of weeks, Mohamed Salah has taken the youngster under his wing, serving as his mentor, with the two even sharing a room. Barcelona's decision capped off an already brilliant period for the youngster, who has become the first-ever Egyptian player at Barcelona.

Hamza Abdelkarim is one of the most exciting prospects to emerge from Africa lately, and the football world will be hearing plenty more about him in the years to come.