Barca faces a shock as Yamal suffers an incurable groin injury

Barcelona is confronted with bad news as young talent Lamine Yamal has been diagnosed with pubalgia, a chronic groin injury that currently has no definitive cure.

According to Sport, this injury is the reason why the young Spanish player has been repeatedly in pain and forced to miss several matches early in the season.

Yamal, only 18 years old, has been sidelined for 5 matches across all competitions and although he returned in the recent El Clásico against Real Madrid last weekend, he was seen grimacing from pain multiple times. Barcelona’s medical staff worry that this condition could become a long-term issue in his career, requiring careful management of his playing time and training intensity.

Pubalgia is a common injury among professional footballers, caused by excessive stretching of the lower abdominal and groin muscles. Lionel Messi struggled with a similar issue during his time at Barca. The Argentine superstar shared in 2019:

“Pubalgia is very complicated. I endured it for a long time. It can’t be cured overnight, it can only be managed through rest and therapy.”

Despite the pain, Yamal has shown impressive form this season. He has scored 2 goals and provided 5 assists in just 6 La Liga matches, continuing to prove himself as an indispensable player in Hansi Flick’s squad. The young star born in 2007 has also won 2 La Liga titles with Barca and the EURO 2024 championship with Spain’s national team.

However, coach Hansi Flick expressed dissatisfaction with how the Spanish national team managed Yamal during the latest international break. The German manager criticized:

“Lamine arrived at the team in pain, having to take painkillers to play. They won easily in both matches yet still let him play over 70 minutes. He didn’t train between games, which is not professional player care.”

If not properly managed, Yamal risks frequent relapses, a problem that has sidelined many top players for long periods. Barcelona must be extremely cautious in protecting their precious talent, especially during the congested fixture schedule at the end of the year.