FC Barcelona has only been able to count on Lamine Yamal in 8 of the first 13 official matches of the 25/26 season. The 18-year-old winger started the season at a spectacular level, adding 2 goals and 3 assists in the first 3 matchdays of La Liga. However, after the first international break of the season, the Mataró native suffered a groin injury that led to pubalgia.
The '10' missed 3 La Liga matchdays and the Champions League debut against Newcastle due to a muscular problem that also kept him out of the league match against Sevilla. Although he returned to play against Real Sociedad and PSG, discomfort in the pubis reappeared and the forward, since then, has only had flashes of his usual explosiveness on the right flank.
Lamine provided an assist against Girona and scored a penalty against Olympiacos. However, in both matches he was replaced in the second half and showed signs of exhaustion and difficulty in exploiting two of his main weapons: speed and striking from mid-range.
Pubalgia, a difficult-to-treat and very limiting injury
In the Clásico against Real Madrid, he was particularly subdued, losing many individual duels and completing only a couple of wayward shots in the 90 minutes. Hence, the physical issue is beginning to raise alarms at Can Barça with their main figure. Although he is only 18 years old, pubalgia is an injury that can leave long-term consequences.
In this regard, Doctor Pedro Luis Ripoll explained in an interview for 'El Larguero' on the 'SER' network how discomfort in the pubis affects a footballer's performance. Even more so when it comes to one as destabilizing as Yamal.
According to Ripoll, pubalgia is "difficult to treat," as it produces frequent pain in the groin area that can only be relieved with rest and physical therapy, in addition to adapted training that relieves muscle load and allows the affected area to recover. Stars like Leo Messi and Ricardo Kaká were affected at some point in their careers by this injury.
'La Pulga', thanks to drastic changes in his diet and physical routine, managed to leave these ailments behind. The Brazilian, however, was never the same after suffering several relapses between 2010 and 2012.
In general terms, pubalgia "is characterized by a pain that reduces the player's ability to move and shoot by almost 50%, which is exactly what we saw in the Clásico," Ripoll argued regarding Lamine Yamal's performance against Real Madrid.
Taking care of Lamine: Barça's number 1 objective
In that sense, care and patience with the player are key to overcoming a situation like the one the player from Mataró is going through right now. The calendar offers little rest, so the club must ensure proper management of minutes and specific training to recover the winger's best form as soon as possible.
For the moment, Lamine has 3 goals and 5 assists in 8 matches (621 minutes), in which he only played the entire regulation time on 5 occasions. The next break in November could be a headache for Barça, who expect a little more collaboration from the National Team with the forward and the rest of the Barça internationals.
For now, Hansi Flick will continue to manage his appearances to 70-75 minutes per game while the '10' shows that he is not at his best. Hopefully, the Barça team will recover several of their injured forwards in the coming days, a fundamental factor in avoiding overloading those considered 'untouchable' in the Barça XI.
- Discover more records, statistics, and curiosities in our Lamine Yamal Data Center, a unique space to follow the evolution of the Barcelona star