Barcelona are worried: Lamine Yamal is caught between Messi and Neymar.
Barca and RFEF are concerned: Lamine Yamal is suffering from musculoskeletal inflammation and will play in El Clasico before recovering; his form has dropped to 3 goals (2 penalties) and 5 assists compared to 5 and 11 respectively; and he lacks leadership.
Late one afternoon during an international week, as the Spanish national team gathered in Las Rozas before traveling to Elche, a video appeared on Nicki Nicole's Instagram: a helicopter hovering over the Croatian islands. Beside the Argentinian singer was Lamine Yamal. Earlier, Barcelona had issued a medical notice: Yamal was suffering from chronic musculoskeletal inflammation and would be absent from the team. The exclamation, "What the hell is he doing?" echoed through the offices – according to the source – not just once, both at the RFEF and in Barcelona.
The Messi or Neymar crossroads: the choice lies in discipline.
The question Hansi Flick's team is asking themselves – according to sources within the club – sounds familiar to fans: Will Lamine Yamal follow in the footsteps of Neymar or Messi? At Bernabeu, he played when he wasn't fully recovered, lacking the confidence to make a breakthrough. Before El Clásico, Yamal appeared on a King's League show; midweek, while recovering from injury, images of him and his girlfriend in a helicopter resurfaced. At 18, the line between glory and responsibility becomes thin.
Lack of a guide
Numerous sources from Barcelona and Madrid (RFEF headquarters) describe a reality: there is no one with enough credibility and closeness to guide Yamal. “The problem is that no one is showing Lamine the way. At 18, it’s very difficult to find your own path,” a Barcelona first-team member told El Mundo. At the Joan Gamper training center, it’s whispered that no one dares say “no” to Yamal, even when they should.
Three channels of potential influence have been clearly identified:
- Family: Fatima's grandmother and Sheila have a strong enough bond, but they are strangers to his current world of football.
- Agent: Jorge Mendes has been warned, some members of Gestifute are willing to help, but no concrete action has been taken yet.
- Club: Back in his youth days, academy director Jordi Roura brought Yamal to La Masia to keep him away from negative influences. Now, La Masia and the Camp Nou office no longer have experts like Juanjo Castillo or Pepe Costa closely monitoring the players' lives. The Player Support Office exists but isn't close enough; they mainly help with things like finding apartments. The Underdogs provide image support; recently, someone convinced Yamal to cancel an appearance on a popular French streamer's channel.
Pubic symphysis injury and its consequences: what do the statistics say?
Conservative treatment for pubic inflammation requires hours of physiotherapy and rest – elements that didn't fit into Yamal's busy schedule of advertising contracts, club events, and social media. He missed five games due to pubic pain and still played at the Bernabeu before fully recovering. The impact on his performance was evident:
| Index | Present | Same time last season |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | 3 | 5 |
| Including penalties | 2 | But |
| Construction | 5 | 11 |
| Missed the match due to inflammation of the pubic bone. | 5 | But |
In Barcelona, people have started talking about the possibility of surgery. It's a big milestone for an 18-year-old player, but prolonging the current situation also carries risks.
Impact on the pitch
On the pitch, Yamal's lack of confidence in dribbling situations – his strength – has cost Barca a key attacking threat on the right wing. When he no longer dares to break through, the attacking tempo slows down; one-on-one opportunities disappear, and the effectiveness of the final pass decreases. Given that Barca have lost 3 of their last 5 matches, including El Clásico, the problem of managing and protecting Yamal is becoming increasingly pressing.
What did the dressing room say, and how did the club react?
The exclamation, "What the hell is he doing?" reflects a real concern. Following the uproar surrounding El Clásico (the 1-2 defeat to Real Madrid), Barca issued a ban related to Yamal, which was approved by the star players – according to reports. This signals an effort to tighten discipline and reduce distractions for young players.
A contrasting position: honored, but in need of guidance.
In the list of 26 nominees for the 2024/25 Team of the Year, voted on by the players, both Messi and Ronaldo are included; Lamine Yamal is indispensable, while Vinicius is absent – a paradox when compared to Yamal's lackluster run of performances in El Clásico. Early fame brings even greater pressure.
The road ahead
To prevent Yamal from going astray, Barca needs to restore a "double protection" mechanism: a sufficiently influential voice within the club and off-field support from his family/agent. In the short term, the priority is health: adhering to conservative treatment protocols or, if decided upon, preparing for surgery. In the long term, the answer to the Messi or Neymar dilemma doesn't lie in talent – which is already obvious – but in discipline and avoiding unnecessary "don'ts" at the age of 18.
