[Saba Sports News] According to Spanish media, 18-year-old Barcelona forward Hamza Abdelkarim has voluntarily skipped his break and will return to the club next Monday to start pre-season training alongside his teammates. Hamza and his Egypt national team teammates were received by the President of Egypt. The squad flew back to Cairo from the United States on Friday. In the World Cup Round of 16, Egypt lost 3-2 to Argentina in a highly controversial encounter. The Egyptian President showered the players with praise for their displays, stating that they competed with “sportsmanship” on the pitch and earned the “respect” of everyone — an honor far more valuable than any trophy. Hamza is one of the youth academy talents called up by Hans-Dieter Flick to join the first team’s pre-season preparations. Having featured at the World Cup, Hamza was entitled to an additional two weeks of leave. Nevertheless, he chose to forgo this rest and report back next Monday to kick off pre-season training under Flick’s stewardship.
The editor believes that at the age of 18 years and 165 days, Hamza has become the youngest player to feature for Egypt at a World Cup. The young Egyptian forward joined Barcelona on loan from Al Ahly Cairo last January. The Catalan club later triggered his buyout clause worth 1.5 million euros plus add-ons, and he officially became a permanent Barcelona player this June.