It’s the second international break of the 2025-26 season and Lamine Yamal has a week off. That’s good news from the perspective of the 18-year-old really needing it, but the bad news for the Barcelona and Spain forward is that he will spend it recovering from injury after suffering a groin issue during the Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain last Wednesday. Lamine Yamal’s groin injury could simply be down to bad luck and the rigors of top-level football, but when the teenager’s incredible appearance numbers are factored in -- 130 senior games and 8,158 minutes on the pitch by his 18th birthday -- the shadow of burnout and the danger of football running its bigger young star into the ground becomes a worrying possibility. No other elite footballer has registered anywhere close to the appearances and minutes clocked up by Yamal by the age of 18 and his workload has led to FIFPRO, the global players’ union, using his game-time for club and country as a case study in a 51-page report on the 2024-25 season titled "Overworked and Underprotected -- Player Heath and Performance Impact."

The modern game’s rising intensity is challenging enough for established professionals, but for young players aged 16 to 20, the risks are even greater," Dr Darren Burgess, Chair of FIFPRO’s High-Performance Advisory Network said. "At a stage when their bodies and minds are still developing, the demands of congested schedules and high-intensity training can have lasting consequences for both performance and career longevity."

What might begin as a minor issue – a recurring hamstring strain, a stress fracture – can quickly become a pattern that follows a player throughout their career. Perhaps the greatest cost of all is lost potential. A player rushed into the spotlight too soon, without adequate protection and progressive development, may see their career shortened before it ever truly begins."

Barcelona and Spain, therefore, have a huge responsibility to Yamal and other youngsters who pull on their iconic jerseys. At 18, Yamal has the world at his feet and could be the natural heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo , but he won’t have a chance if he burns out before he hits 30. "If the sport is serious about nurturing the next generation, it must prioritize development over exploitation," Burgess said. "Only then will today’s young talents have the chance to become tomorrow’s enduring stars."

Shaka Hislop believes it’s only a matter of time before Lamine Yamal claims his own Ballon d’Or trophy. Yamal isn’t the first young player to himself at the center of club versus country tension. Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, two players who shot to international stardom at major tournaments with England at the age of 18, constantly found themselves in the starting XI for club and country, and both have since admitted to rushing back into action too soon for the national team following lengthy injury battles. Owen and Rooney were also well past their best and discarded by England by the age of 30, so there are warning signs for Yamal to heed.