Lamine Yamal: Burnout on the horizon? Concern in Barça and Spain

Lamine Yamal: The Jewel of Football at a Crossroads Due to Injury and Overuse

In the second international break of the 2025-26 season, the young football prodigy, Lamine Yamal, faces a delicate situation. A groin injury, suffered during the Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain, will force him into a recovery period. While this rest is necessary for the 18-year-old player, the concern lies in the management of his workload. Yamal’s injury could simply be a product of bad luck and the demands of elite football. However, when considering the incredible number of matches played by the youngster, 130 senior matches and 8,158 minutes on the field before turning 18, the unsettling possibility of premature wear and tear arises, along with the risk of “burning out” the young star. The case of Yamal has caught the attention of FIFPRO, the global players’ union, which has used his playing time at club and national team as a case study in a 51-page report titled “Overloaded and Underprotected: Impact on Player Health and Performance” for the 2024-25 season.

“The increased intensity of the modern game is quite challenging for established professionals, but for young players aged 16 to 20, the risks are even greater,” said Dr. Darren Burgess, chair of FIFPRO’s High Performance Advisory Network. “At a stage when their bodies and minds are still developing, the demands of congested schedules and high-intensity training can have lasting consequences for both performance and career longevity.”

Dr. Darren Burgess, chair of FIFPRO’s High Performance Advisory Network

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Yamal’s activity far surpasses that of his contemporaries. His 130 appearances for Barcelona and the Spanish national team before turning 18 almost double those of the second player on the list of current players from both teams: Pau Cubarsí, with 69 appearances, followed by Gavi (60) and Pedri (49).

Yamal’s achievements last year earned him the 2024 Golden Boy award, given by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport to the most outstanding under-21 footballer in Europe. At the time of receiving this recognition, Yamal had already accumulated 8,158 minutes on the field. The most recent winners of the award, Jude Bellingham (2023), Gavi (2022) and Pedri (2021), do not come close to these figures.

Bellingham’s case has also raised concerns, as the Real Madrid and England midfielder has been a regular player at club level since he debuted at 16 for Birmingham City. However, he did not reach 100 senior games until he was 18 years and 10 months old. Yamal, on the other hand, became the youngest player to reach 100 matches, achieving this milestone at 17 years and seven months, surpassing Romelu Lukaku’s previous record by four months. Since his debut with Barcelona at 15 years, nine months and 16 days, against Real Betis in April 2023, Yamal has had relatively few injuries, missing only 18 matches with Barça and Spain. However, according to Transfermarkt, his injuries have already kept him out of action for 133 days since his club debut.

Lamine Yamal is key to the club and the country, but how do they balance his minutes?Yamal’s most recent injury could sideline him for up to a month, preventing him from participating in Spain’s World Cup qualifying matches against Georgia and Bulgaria and putting his participation in El Clásico against Real Madrid on October 26 in doubt. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has expressed uncertainty about Yamal’s recovery time and his possible participation in the Clásico. There is tension between Barcelona and Spain over the management of the player, with Flick criticizing Yamal’s use during the World Cup qualifying matches in September. In response, the Spanish coach, Luis de la Fuente, questioned Flick’s comments.

Yamal is not the first young player to be at the center of the tension between clubs and countries. Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, who rose to international fame at 18, were constantly in the starting eleven for both their clubs and their national team, and both have admitted to having recovered too soon after injuries. Owen and Rooney were also far from their best and were discarded by England before they turned 30, so there are warning signs for Yamal. Burgess, who is also a former high-performance director at Arsenal and Liverpool, emphasizes the physical risks of subjecting teenagers to match and training loads designed for mature players. Lost potential is the biggest cost of all. Both Barcelona and Spain have a great responsibility towards Yamal and other young players. At 18 years old, Yamal has the world at his feet and could be the natural heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but he won’t have a chance if he burns out before he turns 30. “If sport is serious about training the next generation, it must prioritize development over exploitation,” Burgess said.