breakout

The chatter among Barcelona fans this summer was all about who would be the club’s next star striker after Robert Lewandowski – the team’s top scorer for the past four seasons – left to play in the United States.

The 18-year-old Egyptian, Hamza Abdelkarim, was not an answer anyone would have given at the beginning of preseason. This time last year, he had only played a single game at senior level, and that was for Cairo giants Al Ahly.

But as Barca’s dogged pursuit of Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez from rivals Atletico Madrid ended in failure, and the club only managed to secure a 10 million euros ($11.5m) move for Gabriel Jesus on the transfer window’s deadline day on September 1, Abdelkarim emerged from obscurity to dominate headlines in Catalonia and Egypt.

Abdelkarim’s four goals in five games made him Barcelona’s top scorer during preseason. He even scored against his boyhood club, Al Ahly, in the Joan Gamper Trophy – the fixture that is used to introduce the team to the fans and inaugurate the league season – but chose not to celebrate the goal as a mark of respect.

“Hamza offers something different,” Adrian Healey, ESPN’s La Liga match commentator, told Al Jazeera.

Fans in Egypt and Barcelona have taken to calling him the Egyptian Erling Haaland on account of his physical prowess and presence in the box.

When the striker caught the eye of FC Barcelona, a low-risk, low-commitment agreement was struck in the winter transfer window with Al Ahly to bring him to Spain. A six-month loan period was cut in half due to paperwork issues, but Abdelkarim made up for lost time by scoring goals; not for the first team, or even the reserves, but the Under-19 team – netting six times in 11 games.

Abdelkarim had also impressed for Egypt at the 2025 U17 World Cup, grabbing two goals and an assist in four appearances.

Despite the lack of top-level experience, Abdelkarim had done enough to prompt Egypt national team manager Hossam Hassan to take a gamble by selecting the uncapped teenager for his World Cup 2026 squad.

The veteran Mostafa Mohammed was left at home in favour of Abdelkarim, who went on to make his debut against Brazil in a friendly and featured in four World Cup matches.

On the advice of Mohamed Salah, the striker decided not to take a vacation after the World Cup and returned to Barcelona immediately after Egypt were knocked out by Argentina in the round of 16.

“Mohamed Salah is always talking to me, and I follow everything he says. He is an example to be followed, and the success he achieved is not by accident,” he told Egypt’s OnSport after FC Barcelona lifted the Joan Gamper Trophy.

The exposure to a professional like Salah has only served to supercharge Abdelkarim’s development.

Barcelona had already seen enough and decided to make his loan move permanent in June, paying Al Ahly 1.5 million euros ($1.75m) for his services.

“I am not surprised at all in Hamza’s [emergence],” Ismail el-Hamalawy, a footballing content creator who has closely followed the young striker’s journey, told Al Jazeera, citing his World Cup performances.

“He is the striker Egypt has been missing for two decades,” el-Hamalawy told Al Jazeera.

The only other Egyptian-born player to have played in La Liga was Mido, who came through the ranks at Zamalek before leaving Egypt as a 17-year-old in 2000 and played in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy and England.

At the turn of the century, most Egyptians followed Mido’s progress through newspapers and local talk shows. Now, Egyptians can easily track Abdelkarim’s development in real time online.

The interest has been so profound that Barcelona signed a surprise sponsorship with EgyptAir through the 2028-29 season this week as both entities look to leverage the image of Egypt’s next great footballer for commercial gain.

The club is now scrambling to improve his contract so that a larger buyout clause can be installed. As it stands, the 18-year-old could be poached by a rival club for only 15 million euros ($17m), so the Catalan giants are looking to place a 150 million euros ($174m) buyout clause to ward off any potential suitors.

An unused substitute in the first two matches of the season, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has repeatedly told the media that the striker’s time will come.

“He deserves to play, and he will play,” Flick said. “I see him improving day by day. He has the right attitude and mentality.”

With such little top-level experience, it could have been considered irresponsible of the club to give the youngster too much responsibility too soon.

“He will have to [be] patient, but he will get minutes,” Healey said. “[But] I am not sure the signing of [Gabriel] Jesus changes much for him, as I see [Jesus] as just a stopgap solution. Abdelkarim might have had less minutes had Alvarez signed.”

On August 31, Abdelkarim replaced Raphina in the final five minutes of Barcelona’s 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano.

With an official debut out of the way, the striker can focus on clearing the next hurdle – scoring his first official goal for the La Liga champions.

Chargers running back Omarion Hampton is a serious breakout candidate entering his second season in Los Angeles.

“I would say he has, from the first day that we’ve gotten on the field … had as much, if not the most, growth as any player,” offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel said earlier in training camp. “And that’s because … this guy’s completely obsessed and focused. His tracks and the urgency in which we’re trying to get him to start the play has been phenomenal.

“Nobody wants to tackle that guy. That is a massive human moving very fast. The less we can get him to stop his feet and do what we call ‘slash’ and pick edges of defenders and shoulder-punch them, the better. I’m very confident, and it’s very exciting, what he’s doing each and every day.”

Hampton, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2025 draft, flashed his skills as a rookie. The 6-foot, 220-pound North Carolina product gained 737 yards from scrimmage and had five touchdowns in 156 touches — 124 rushes and 32 receptions.

Hampton would’ve done more if not for deflating injuries that limited him to 10 games. He fractured his left ankle in a Week 5 loss to the Washington Commanders and injured his other ankle in a Week 17 loss to the Houston Texans.

The past is the past, though.

“Looking forward to next season, putting everything I can into treatment, everything I can to get back to 110%,” Hampton said of his offseason regimen. “I feel like I did that well. Couldn’t be more excited for next season.”

Entering the final week of preseason play, Hampton has looked better than ever.

His speed and agility remain electric despite the ankle injuries. The hands are still reliable. And, maybe most importantly, picking up the playbook hasn’t been a problem.

“All the running backs, really, I feel like it’s going to benefit us a lot,” Hampton said of the offense. “We know [McDaniel] loves to run the ball, so we couldn’t be more excited.”

Chargers running back Omarion Hampton gained 737 yards from scrimmage last season and scored five touchdowns in 10 games, missing seven because of injuries to both ankles.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

Added head coach Jim Harbaugh: “Man of few words. [Hampton’s] got places to be and things to do. When I do have a conversation with him, I see a smile. And when I watch the tape, I smile. I think [McDaniel’s offense] fits him great. … Big year for Omarion.”

Where Hampton has really stood out, though, is with his ability — in the words of the iconic Marshawn Lynch — to run through faces.

“[McDaniel’s] just saying, if I run full speed, it’s going to be hard for [defenders] to tackle me,” Hampton said.

Although Hampton, a certified starter, only played in the Chargers’ opening series in Thursday’s preseason loss to San Francisco, he made waves in the two teams’ joint practice on Tuesday by bulldozing several 49ers defenders.

Hampton arguably made the play of the day when putting 49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown on his back during a big run.

“He’s incredibly tough,” Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said of Hampton after that joint practice. “He leads by example. He doesn’t say much, but what he does on the field is so loud, and guys respect him.

“It’s so cool to hand him the ball and see what he’s able to do because he’s an incredible athlete and an incredible competitor. I’m glad he’s on my side of the ball.”

The Chargers’ running back corps, led by Hampton, also features trustworthy options in veterans Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal.

Although McDaniel’s offenses usually feature eye-popping aerial attacks, he also loves to run the ball. The trio of running backs should see plenty of carries, particularly with opportunities for big-chunk gains.

“Top to bottom, guys are legit,” Vidal said. “Everyone’s here for a reason. … Everyone knows about Omarion and Keaton. I think all guys can contribute at some point during the season.”

McDaniel teased reporters when asked about Hampton’s expected usage, apologizing to fantasy owners for his inability to declare the running back the bell cow because of their other options he has to work with.

Make no mistake, though, Hampton’s the guy.

He’ll be a critical part of the Chargers’ offense and a major factor in determining whether the franchise can get over the playoff hump.

“There’s a lot of small things that go into it,” Hampton said. “But I feel like the more you do it, the more you get comfortable with it. I feel like now, I’m at a more comfortable place with it.”