Lamine Yamal’s World Cup Drama: Is Spain Facing a Blow?

There appears to be very bad news for the Spanish national team regarding the participation of their superstar, Lamine Yamal, in the World Cup.

According to a report by The Athletic, the thigh injury that Yamal is currently dealing with will prevent the FC Barcelona attacker from playing in Spain’s World Cup opener against Cape Verde on June 15th.

Furthermore, Yamal may not only miss the start of the tournament; his participation in the second group match against Saudi Arabia on June 21st is also in serious doubt, according to The Athletic.

Yamal sustained an injury in Barca’s league match against Celta Vigo (1-0) at the end of April while taking a penalty. A thigh muscle tear was diagnosed. The highly talented player was unable to play for the Catalans in the season finale. According to The Athletic, there is active communication between the Spanish Football Federation, Barcelona, and Yamal. Members of the national team’s medical staff are reportedly in Barcelona regularly to support the rehabilitation of the great World Cup hopeful.

Could Spain Face a World Cup Without Lamine Yamal?

The Furia Roja will be hoping that Yamal can potentially return to the field for the final group stage match against their strongest group opponent, Uruguay, on June 26th. The absence of the Barca star during the crucial phase of the World Cup finals in the USA, Mexico, and Canada would be a significant blow to the Spanish team.

With a healthy Yamal, the European champions are considered one of the absolute top favorites for the World Cup title. Even in the successful European Championship two years ago, when Spain defeated England in the final, the then 16-year-old Yamal played a decisive role for a significant portion of the tournament.

Yamal has since played 25 international matches, scoring six goals. Even in the World Cup qualifiers, Spain often had to do without their best player, missing him due to injury in four out of six games.

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