The Paradox of Lamine Yamal

At 17, Yamal is becoming a global football phenomenon. However, alongside the praise, a growing concern is emerging.

Yamal will be at risk of competing too much at such a young age.

The question is whether playing continuously at high intensity could exhaust this young talent? Playing in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan on May 1st, Yamal reached a historic milestone of 100 appearances for Barcelona at the young age of just 17.

This is an achievement that not every player in the world can accomplish. However, does the constant demanding schedule affect the development of the Barcelona star?

Keep shining

The match against Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-final once again clearly demonstrated Yamal's talent. He scored a spectacular solo goal, dribbling past a series of Inter defenders before unleashing a shot that hit the post and went into the net, leaving the entire football world in awe.

"If there's one player who can be considered the embodiment of a new football superstar, it's Lamine Yamal," Sports magazine stated. Yamal is on his way to becoming a true star. At just 15 years old, he made his debut for Barcelona's first team, becoming the youngest player ever to wear the club's La Liga shirt. Since then, Yamal has consistently broken records: youngest player to score in La Liga, youngest to score in the Champions League knockout round, and youngest to appear and score for the Spanish national team.

The 2024/25 season saw Yamal explode with 14 goals and 12 assists in 30 La Liga games, along with a brilliant performance in the Copa del Rey, where he played a major role in helping Barcelona overcome Real Madrid in the final with two decisive assists.

In the Champions League, when Barca struggled against a shrewd and experienced Inter, Yamal continued to demonstrate his star quality. Not only does he possess exceptional technique, but Yamal also showed maturity far beyond his age. He remained calm under pressure and produced some incredible moments.

You may also like

World Cup score prediction: Uzbekistan crushes Democratic Republic of Congo's dreams.The Democratic Republic of Congo's dream of advancing beyond the group stage faces a major challenge from Asian representative Uzbekistan.

World Cup score prediction: Austria and Algeria to draw with few goals.A draw would almost certainly secure qualification, so Austria and Algeria are likely to create a tight match.

Live stream New Zealand vs Belgium (10:00 AM, June 27): Doku starts, Lukaku is on the bench.New Zealand and Belgium will face each other at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada at 10:00 AM on June 27th in the final match of Group G of the 2026 World Cup. This is a match where both teams must win to secure their place in the next round.

Barcelona needs to act now to ensure Yamal isn't overexerted.

Barca have the opportunity to win a historic treble this season, and Yamal's continuous playing time has been unavoidable. However, sports medicine expert Raymond Verheijen has expressed concern that "for a 17-year-old player, playing 50 consecutive matches a year will have serious consequences for his body."

Worry

This season, Yamal has played 30 La Liga matches, often playing the full 90 minutes, and has started 10 out of 12 Champions League games. In total, Yamal has played 49 matches for Barcelona this season, accumulating over 4,000 minutes of playing time. Furthermore, Yamal is a key player for the Spanish national team, participating in the Euro 2024 winning campaign and the Nations League matches over the past 10 months. He has played almost non-stop since the 2023/24 season, playing throughout the summer and into this season.

Over the past week, Yamal played 86 minutes in the 1-0 win against Mallorca, played the full 120 minutes in the Copa del Rey match against Real Madrid, and most recently, played the full 90 minutes in the draw against Inter Milan. Yamal has been a consistent starter since the beginning of the year and has rarely had a rest.

There have been too many lessons learned at Barca over the years about the harmful effects of overworking young players. Pedri is a prime example. In the 2020/21 season, he played 73 matches for Barcelona and Spain (including La Liga, Champions League, Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics).

This demanding schedule led to a series of injuries, particularly recurring hamstring injuries, causing Pedri to miss over 70 games in the following three seasons. From 2021 to 2024, the Spanish star suffered six serious injuries, disrupting his development.

Although he has now regained his form, Pedri admitted in an interview with El País : "I wish I had managed my playing time better when I was younger. My body has paid the price." Pedri isn't alone; Gavi, Ansu Fati, and most recently Casado – other young talents from the La Masia academy – have also faced health problems due to playing too much in their teens.

United States - Vietnam: Don't miss

Vietnam encourages US businesses to expand investment in high technology.On the morning of June 26th, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung received Mr. Jeff Place, Supply Chain Director of Coherent Group (USA). During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam encourages US businesses to expand investment, especially in high-tech, innovation, and semiconductor industries.

Encourage U.S. businesses to expand investment in high-tech sectors.Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung said that Vietnam welcomes US businesses to continue expanding their operations in Vietnam, especially in high-tech industries and sectors with high added value.

Vietnam and the United States strengthen cooperation in addressing the consequences of war.VTV.vn - On June 22, General Secretary and President To Lam received Acting Secretary of the US Navy Hung Cao.

To protect Yamal, Barcelona needs to consider giving him a rest in the coming period. A star as bright as Yamal deserves to shine for a long time, not just be a fleeting shooting star across the football sky.

Highlights CAHN 2-0 Makassar: A meaningful victory. On the evening of April 30th, CAHN defeated Makassar 2-0 in the second leg of the ASEAN Club Championship semi-final.

Source: https://znews.vn/nghich-ly-cua-lamine-yamal-post1550245.html