The two talents' struggle: Hamza Abdelkarim and Bisiou in a final test of patience to convince Flick
Just 21 days separate them on their birth certificates, but their paths inside Barcelona are heading in two different directions, united by one bitter reality: the difficulty of carving out a route into a squad brimming with stars.
This is the story of Egypt's Hamza Abdelkarim and Belgium's Jesse Bijssiou, two talents who train daily with the first team yet still knock hard on Hansi Flick's door.
Different paths, one fate
Barcelona chose two strategies to manage their gems. Hamza Abdelkarim, born on 1 January 2008, and Jesse Bijssiou, born on 22 January of the same year, work under Flick every day.
The club decided the rest. Hamza does not feature with the reserve side on match days and remains part of the first-team squad, while Bijssiou has been told to gain experience with Barcelona Atlètic.
Handling talents like these demands immense patience from the players and their families. Flick has proven he prefers merit over age, but the numbers so far are harsh.
Hamza Abdelkarim has played only 4 official minutes this season across 6 matches, 5 in La Liga and one in the Champions League. Those minutes came against Rayo Vallecano.
Bijssiou was supposed to make his Barcelona Atlètic debut last Sunday in Logroño, but the artificial grass surface was poor and sparked wide controversy within the club over its suitability for play.
A wall named Raphinha and Jesus
Hamza's situation looks better in theory while he waits for the rotation Flick promised, as he is always present with the first team. Yet he runs into a huge attacking wall. Ahead of him at centre-forward stand Raphinha, who has become the indispensable "decisive striker", and Gabriel Jesus, who boasts a rich record.
Logically, if Flick rotates on Wednesday against Racing Santander, Jesus would get the chance first. He has played only 16 minutes so far: 9 at Mestalla and 6 in the Champions League against Feyenoord, and he scored in those.
Bijssiou's path looks more complicated. Flick wants him to progress with the reserves first, and a promotion would leave him behind Gordon and Adjemi on the left wing, the position the Belgian prefers to play in with his weaker foot.
Two different paths, then, but both confirm the club's absolute confidence. Barcelona renewed Hamza Abdelkarim's contract until 30 June 2030 with a huge release clause of 150 million euros, and paid 8.5 million euros to sign Bijssiou. The faith is there. Now it is patience's turn to prove itself.
