Genius or madness? Flick benched Barca's teen sensation to protect his release clause

Barcelona found an unusual way to survive the window with their brightest jewel intact: they simply hid him in plain sight.

Details: According to Sport, Hansi Flick deliberately limited Hamza Abdelkarim's playing time in the opening La Liga matches to protect his €15 million release clause before the window closed. Barça feared one standout performance could tempt a club to trigger the low figure and force a sale. The Egyptian has played just four minutes across the first three matchdays.

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The caution is understandable. The 18 year old finished pre season as Barcelona's top scorer, announced himself with a brace on his first team friendly debut against Birmingham, and went to the World Cup with Egypt, reaching the last 16. With the window now shut, the club is finalizing an improved contract that will raise his release clause tenfold to €150 million, following talks with his agent this week. Signed permanently from Al Ahly until 2029 after an initial loan, Abdelkarim can now expect the minutes Flick owes him, with the coach having publicly praised the teenager as a humble player with huge potential.

It's worth noting that Abdelkarim became the first Egyptian player in Barcelona's history when he joined in February 2026, fulfilling a dream he described as playing in the footsteps of his idol Mohamed Salah.

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