Maybe it’s just a me thing, but seeing Lamine Yamal getting a knock while playing for Spain this past international break made me mad. Although it was only a left hamstring strain, Lamine Yamal cannot afford to pick up injuries during the international break. 

The Barcelona superstar has blossomed into one of the best players in the world at the bizarre age of 17, but already, we can see that the total number of matches he has played since 2023 for Barcelona and Spain have taken a toll on his body. It feels like a ticking time bomb seeing a young Barcelona star get extensive minutes before getting injured (Ansu Fati, Pedri, Gavi!).

The last thing the footballing world needs right now is another injury to one of its shining prospects. 

Players such as Rodri from Manchester City (who suffered a season ending injury recently) have begun to criticize the number of matches they have to play, and load management is more important than ever before. Little by little, soccer is beginning to look like the NBA, where players have to be periodically rested for more important matches, leaving other games lacking in quality. Fans don’t want to spend their money attending games that their favorite players might not play in due to rotation. 

One example of many where match congestion has increased is international duty. For many years, the international break was used to mix in national stars with up-and-coming players to get a feel for the team structure ahead of major tournaments. Now, FIFA and continental federations have taken a different approach

In 2018, the UEFA Nations League was introduced, receiving mixed reactions across Europe. On one hand, everyone can admit that having more meaningful games and competitions isn’t a bad thing, but there needs to be a balance. My main issue is that rosters haven’t grown much since 2018, and more and more players are expected to increase their minutes without rest. 

The players that are being impacted by this shift in matches are the youngsters. They’re the ones who will hopefully have 10 to 15 years ahead of them to develop, and national teams are running them dry further than they should be. There has been no better example in recent times than Spain with Gavi, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Ansu Fati, and now Lamine Yamal, who could shape up to be the best out of the bunch

The thing is, I can’t fully blame Luis de la Fuente for using these players, specifically Lamine.  

Yamal has already acquired double digit goal contributions on the season, spearheading a dynamic Barcelona attack. What has been most surprising is his efficiency. In 13 games, he has already gotten 12 goal contributions. 

Rarely have we seen this level of consistency from a teenager, much less on a big club like FC Barcelona. 

His impressive run of form extends back to the Euros where he won Young Player of The Tournament. While the majority of his contributions show up as assists, he is also beginning to develop a knack for scoring bangers from beyond the box.  

So while I understand the reasoning for calling up such an incredible player, Lamine Yamal is still just 17 and has already accumulated more than a thousand minutes for FC Barcelona this season. This comes after a busy summer and thus a shorter offseason. Shouldn’t this be the time both club and country decide to be careful with a phenom like Yamal rather than squeeze the pulp out of him before he has truly developed?

Although Lamine is (apparently) back to full fitness and returned to the scoresheet with an assist against Bayern Munich, it must be stated that his health should still be of the utmost importance. Flick has done well in substituting Lamine Yamal out of games recently, but it would be better for all parties involved if Yamal decided to take one of these next international breaks as an opportunity to recover. 

I fear that if proper action isn’t taken soon, he could join an ever growing list of footballers whose careers will forever be changed due to preventable injuries.