Lamine Yamal’s injury and Barcelona’s spat with Spain: Pain, politics and pubalgia – The Athletic
When Lamine Yamal was withdrawn from international duty earlier this week, it sparked another flashpoint in tensions between Barcelona and the Spanish FA.
Those tensions first surfaced back in September, when Barca manager Hansi Flick accused Spain of “not protecting” the 18-year-old forward, who played through two World Cup qualifiers that month despite discomfort from a groin problem, taking painkillers to do so.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente insisted “zero risks” were taken with Yamal around those fixtures, but he missed five of Barca’s seven matches before the next international break with the same issue.
When Yamal was called up again by Spain on Friday, October 3, Barcelona released a statement just a few hours later saying he had been ruled out for between two and three weeks. He missed their 4-1 defeat by Sevilla that weekend, and was withdrawn from the Spain squad.
The forward made his return on October 18, the first of six consecutive starts that included a rather disappointing showing in the 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid in El Clasico on October 26, especially after his pre-match comments.
Yamal’s form picked up after that game, scoring three goals in Barca’s next three matches, but on Tuesday he was again withdrawn from international duty, and the Spanish FA were not happy with how the situation was handled — releasing a statement to “express their surprise and displeasure”.
Here’s what’s really going on.
What is Yamal’s injury?
Yamal has been suffering from a groin problem known as pubalgia that seems to especially affect young footballers with a similar profile — those who often engage in short, sharp dribbles or bursts of acceleration. In recent months, Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono has also been affected by a recurring groin injury, as have Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Athletic Club’s Nico Williams.
Pubalgia is characterised by pain in the groin that can spread to other areas such as the upper thigh or lower abdomen. The term refers to the symptoms rather than a single condition — and various factors, including muscle strain, tendonitis or nerve issues, can play a role. This means it can sometimes be difficult to diagnose and treat quickly.
Another tricky thing about pubalgia is that it does not tend to disappear altogether with rest alone. Not every case is the same, but often players are advised to keep playing and learn how to handle the pain, while following a series of treatments and prevention exercises to strengthen the affected area, in the hope that things will progress. In some cases, footballers are instead advised to undergo surgery.
How worried are Barca about it?
Yamal has been playing through pain, as Flick has commented multiple times. His display against Madrid, where he looked severely limited, raised further concerns around the club and the fanbase.
Concerns were first raised in September around the situation with Yamal on Spain duty. Flick’s comments at the time about him not being protected reflected the wider view at the club. There was frustration and anger that he came back injured from the 3-0 win in Bulgaria and the 6-0 victory in Turkey.
When he had sufficiently recovered, Barca created a specific training plan for Yamal to follow in the gym, and Flick recently praised his attitude towards having to work harder on recuperation. There was an improvement in his performances following El Clasico, and Barca have been pleased by the progress he has made, even if he has not been at the very peak of his powers.
In order to stay on the right track, Barca also consulted an external expert on the subject. Belgian doctor Ernest Schilders visited the club’s training ground on Monday. Together with Barca’s medical staff, he assessed Yamal’s injury and recommended a radiofrequency treatment which was highlighted as being less invasive than alternatives.
Flick and Yamal in last week’s open training session at the Camp Nou (Felipe Mondino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Club sources — speaking anonymously, like several others consulted for this article, as they did not have permission to comment — said the results were positive, but that it was decided Yamal would require approximately 10 days of rest after the treatment.
Why was the Spanish FA annoyed with Barca?
The timing of the radiofrequency treatment is what caused a renewal in tensions between Barca and the Spanish FA.
After undergoing the treatment on Monday, Yamal travelled to Madrid to meet up with his international team-mates on Tuesday, but later that day was withdrawn from the squad.
A pointed statement from the Spanish FA spoke of their “surprise and displeasure” at having only been informed about the treatment “when the national team camp had already started”.
Barca sources said they did not understand why they should be criticised for trying to heal their own player, one who is just as important for Spain. They also said the club had notified the Spanish FA about the treatment as soon as it was conducted.
When you boil it down, the whole situation is just another battle of narratives around who is mishandling Yamal, if indeed anyone can be said to be doing that. The situation is so tense because of the much more dramatic criticism Flick aimed at De la Fuente back in September.
Flick criticised Spain’s decision to play Yamal in September (Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)
Spain’s medical staff were unimpressed by the German manager’s comments, and Spanish FA sources were keen to stress at the time that some of the national team’s medical staff also work with Yamal at Barcelona.
Both Barca and the Spanish FA tried to ease the pressure around the situation following Flick’s comments. Barca’s sporting director Deco met with the Spanish FA’s technical director Aitor Karanka, the former Real Madrid defender and Middlesbrough manager. However, Flick and De la Fuente have not had a conversation since the German’s arrival in Catalonia.
How does Yamal feel about all this?
Would Yamal have liked to stay with Spain and play with his country this week? Yes he would, for the same reasons that he wanted to feature in the international games last September against Bulgaria and Turkey.
But there’s also people close to the teenager who admit that Flick was probably right to feel frustrated over how he was handled by Spain in September, given the relatively minor challenge of those matches.
Since El Clasico last month, Barcelona have been very insistent with Yamal about how important it is for him to take care of himself, especially when it comes to getting proper rest, as well as taking on specialised work in the gym and with physiotherapists to help with his recovery.
In the player’s camp, they see what has happened this week as a price he has to pay in order to fully rediscover his best condition. But Yamal also knows that he is in the middle of a political battle between Spain and Barcelona, with each side keen to blame the other.
That comes with the territory of being the biggest young talent in world football. It is part of the extra weight Yamal has to carry.
Hopefully, for everyone’s interests, he will be given the time and space he needs to get back to his very best.
