Barca's Abdelkarim puts on a show for Bellingham in Birmingham

Club Friendlies Birmingham City 2 - 2 Barcelona AET (3 - 2) Hamza Abdelkarim is yet to make his senior competitive debut for Barcelona [Getty Images] Jude Bellingham watched on as another wonderkid took centre stage in Birmingham for a change. The Real Madrid midfielder, back in the city on his post-World Cup break and wearing Blues' new home shirt, saw Barcelona's Hamza Abdelkarim shine for his La Liga rivals. The 18-year-old forward's clinical penalty and poacher's finish at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on Friday night gave the Spanish champions a glimpse of what could be. It may not have been enough for a friendly win in the 2-2 draw - which Blues ultimately won 3-2 on penalties - but there was enough intent with the statement. "I think he is very humble, he has a good character, his mentality is good," said Barca manager Hansi Flick. "He has potential - a lot of a potential. As a striker you have to be there. If there is a situation in the box you have to be there and he was. It gives him a lot of confidence for the next week. "You can see he has a lot of potential, like a lot of the players. The most important thing is they show their quality. I appreciate this a lot. The quality is good, the intensity and atmosphere with these young guys, its a pleasure to work with them." Abdelkarim cost just 1.5m euros plus add-ons when signing from Al-Ahly this summer, having initially joined Barcelona B on loan in February. He helped Los Azulgranas' under-19s to the title and scored five goals in seven games, netting a hat-trick in the league to clinch a 9-0 win over Montecarlo. It earned him a senior international call-up and he made four appearances for Egypt at the World Cup this summer - where he was one of the five youngest players at the tournament. At 34, Mohamed Salah - still yet to sign with a new club after his departure from Liverpool - will need replacing as Egypt's talisman. Manchester City's Omar Marmoush will stake a claim, but Abdelkarim, his country's youngest player to play at a World Cup, clearly has the composure to take on the mantle. He may have the opportunities at the Nou Camp this term after Robert Lewandowski's exit, the Poland forward joining Chicago Fire, and the potential departure of Tottenham-linked Ferran Torres. Lamine Yamal remains the star but is a different player to Abdelkarim, while new signings Anthony Gordon - still on his break - and Karim Adeyemi, who played the first half, offer the service. Missing Spain's Lamine Yamal and Barca's seven other World Cup winners it was an opportunity for the forward to make his mark, especially with Marcus Rashford's loan from Manchester United not being made permanent. "You don't know what happens with players who are on loan - our situation is not easy for that," added Flick. "I appreciate working with him [Rashford]. "He is a fantastic player and fantastic person. The team miss him, I will miss him but it's life and this is what we have to accept." Abdelkarim was perhaps fortunate to earn a soft penalty after Christoph Klarer's first-half challenge, but confidently sent James Beadle the wrong way. A second arrived after the break when he turned in after Beadle spilled Roony Bardghji's shot - and Flick feels the striker's profile offers something different. He added: "He pressed with a lot of intensity and what you can see in training with the crosses, he is there and he is really good in the air and this is what we need. "He is very young but we tried to give him everything we have to improve and this is the most important thing. "We have a lot of talent with huge quality but it's important they play and we see their potential."