Key Takeaways
- Lamine Yamal will miss Barcelona’s last six La Liga matches after hurting his left hamstring.
- Barcelona say the teen will use “conservative treatment” and should recover before Spain’s first World Cup game.
- Spain face Cape Verde on 15 June, and coach Luis de la Fuente hopes Yamal will be available.
Barcelona’s rising forward Lamine Yamal will play no further part in the club’s 2024-25 league campaign after scans showed a hamstring tear in his left leg, the Catalan giants confirmed on Thursday.
The 18-year-old scored from the spot in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Celta Vigo but collapsed moments later, clutching the back of his thigh. Medical staff helped him off the pitch and straight into the tunnel at Estadi Olímpic.
Club doctors have chosen a non-surgical recovery plan. A short statement said Yamal “will follow a conservative treatment plan” and is “expected to return in time for the World Cup”.
Yamal later told fans the setback “hurts more than I can explain”. Writing on Instagram, he vowed to support his teammates from the stands and promised to “come back stronger” for next season.
Barcelona still lead La Liga by nine points over Real Madrid with six matches left, including the Clásico on 10 May.
Spain, meanwhile, open their World Cup Group H schedule against Cape Verde on 15 June before meeting Saudi Arabia and Uruguay later in the month.