Lamine Yamal reportedly suffering from chronic injury that 'prevents him from reaching his best'

Lamine Yamal (number 19) scores with his left foot as Spain beat France 5-4 in the Nations League semifinal on June 5, 2025. Photo by AFP

Since debuting for Barcelona's first team at 15 in August 2023, Yamal has become a football phenomenon. In 2024, he was instrumental in Spain's Euro title and helped Barca win the domestic treble. At 18, Yamal finished second in the 2025 Ballon d'Or race, behind Ousmane Dembele.

However, in the recent El Clasico, many observers noted Yamal often showed that he was in pain and moved awkwardly, a sign of a persistent groin injury. A source from Diario Sport revealed that the player has pubalgia, a chronic condition that causes pain in the pubic area, is notoriously difficult to treat, and is almost impossible to be completely cured.

Physiotherapist Lluis Puig explained the nature of the injury: We'll see in upcoming matches, but pubalgia is a very complex and, above all, multifactorial condition. It can have several causes and isn't like a muscle injury that can be considered 'cured' once it heals."

"Pubalgia is a very difficult injury to treat. It causes pain that reduces a player's ability to move and shoot by 50%, exactly what we saw in El Clásico," Dr. Ripoll explained in an interview with El Larguero. "It's a disabling pain that allows the player to compete but prevents him from reaching his best level."

According to experts, the possible cause was Yamal's body growing too quickly during his teenage years, which prevented his muscles and bones from adapting properly.

This issue is a familiar one for Barca. Lionel Messi also had to deal with similar injuries twice between 2000 and 2008 and now, the player widely considered his successor is at risk of facing the same problem.