Barcelona and Spain have been warned about the risk of overworking Lamine Yamal after the 18-year-old returned from a groin injury in the 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday.
A new FIFPRO study revealed Yamal has already played 130 senior games since debuting at 15—compared to Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta’s 40 by the same age. FIFPRO’s high-performance chair Darren Burgess called the findings “certainly alarming,” warning that heavy minutes at such a young age can cause long-term damage to growth plates, tendons, and ligaments, as well as mental fatigue.
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Concerns grew after Barca boss Hansi Flick revealed Yamal took painkillers to feature for Spain in recent World Cup qualifiers despite carrying pain, which later ruled him out of Barcelona’s clash with Valencia. Flick blasted the national team’s handling, saying: “They gave him painkillers to play… That is not taking care of the player.”
Yamal, who set up Robert Lewandowski’s winner on his comeback, has already shattered multiple records for club and country. He became Barcelona’s youngest starter, goalscorer, and El Clasico participant, while also becoming Spain’s youngest player and goalscorer, and the youngest to feature and score in a European Championship.
Barcelona now prepare to face PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday before visiting Sevilla at the weekend, with Yamal’s workload again under the spotlight.