The tug-of-war between club and country has long been a recurring drama in soccer, but few cases highlight it as starkly as that of Lamine Yamal. At just 18, the Barcelona winger has already been hailed as one of the most gifted talents in the modern game, carrying both his club and Spain into decisive moments on the biggest stages.
Yet, as Spain prepares for a new round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers, a storm is brewing. Reports from Catalonia suggest Barcelona may block its prized jewel from joining the national squad, sparking fears that La Roja could lose him for the qualifiers. The reason? It appears the issue runs deeper than simple scheduling conflicts.
The debate surrounding Yamal’s future comes at a time when global concern is mounting over the demands placed on soccer’s brightest young stars. According to a new FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring report, the Ballon d’Or runner-up’s rise has been nothing short of extraordinary—yet alarming. The union revealed that Yamal had already amassed 130 senior appearances by the age of 18.
By comparison, Andres Iniesta had played just 40 at that age, while Gavi had managed 60. “It’s certainly alarming,” said Darren Burgess, chair of FIFPRO’s high-performance advisory network. “To expose them to excessive load at that time is almost certainly to expose them to greater injury risk.”
Yamal’s achievements are historic—becoming the youngest player to win the European Championship at 17, the youngest to score in La Liga, the youngest to play for Spain, and the youngest to reach 100 appearances for Barcelona. Yet with those records has come an “excessive load” that FIFPRO insists threatens his long-term health.
Flick’s fury with Spain
The real flashpoint in this saga, however, lies in Yamal’s recent international duty. Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was furious upon discovering that the youngster had been administered painkillers to represent Spain in qualifiers earlier this month.
“Lamine Yamal will not be available. He went with the national team in pain and did not train. They gave him painkillers to play. They had at least a three-goal lead in every match, and he played 73 minutes and 79. That is not taking care of the player. I am very sad about this,” Flick told reporters after Yamal missed the match against Valencia.
The fallout was swift. The groin problem Yamal carried into Spain duty worsened, ruling him out of Barcelona’s fixtures against Valencia, Getafe, Real Oviedo, and the Champions League clash with Newcastle. For Barcelona, the risk of sending him back to Spain so soon after recovery feels unacceptable.
see also
Lamine Yamal injury controversy: Spain coach Luis de la Fuente sets record straight on Barcelona star with four-word response to Hansi Flick
Why Spain could miss out
According to Catalan outlet ARA, Barcelona’s stance is now clear: Yamal will feature in high-profile club matches against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Sevilla in La Liga, but he will not join Spain for their October qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria.
The club’s medical team has crafted a strict recovery strategy—limiting his game minutes while pairing them with intensive therapy to prevent a recurrence of the injury. In extreme cases, doctors fear, the condition could even require surgery.
Barcelona believes withholding Yamal from Spain’s camp offers him the best chance to secure his long-term fitness. Yet for Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who already faced backlash for playing the teenager through pain, losing Yamal for crucial qualifiers could be a devastating blow.
