BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lamine Yamal will miss the rest of Barcelona’s season, but his foot injury should heal in time for a game with Spain. world cupthe club announced on Thursday.
Barcelona announced that Yamal, 18, will miss the leaders’ remaining six La Liga games as he undergoes a “conservative treatment” process to heal his injury. left leg muscle injury That’s what he picked up when he converted a penalty in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Celta Vigo.
The club added in a statement that doctors “expect (Yamal) to be able to participate in the World Cup.”
Yamal is scheduled to make his World Cup debut this summer. Spain’s campaign begins on June 15th against Cape Verde in Atlanta.
“This injury sidelined me when I wanted to be on the field the most,” Yamal wrote in an Instagram post. “It hurts not being able to compete with my teammates, but I believe in them and I know they will give their best in every game.”
Yamal made his debut for Barcelona at the record-breaking age of 15 and has since emerged as one of the world’s top players. He helped lead Spain to the 2024 European Championship and was a big reason why Luis de la Fuente’s side are favorites to win this summer, thanks to his dribbling, creativity and ability to both score and set up teammates.
Yamal collapsed after scoring the winning goal in the 40th minute against Celta and immediately turned to the bench to signal his injury. As his teammates arrived to celebrate, he fell to the ground and appeared to grab the back of his left leg.
Yamal left the scene voluntarily after being examined by doctors. He had a brief conversation with coach Hansi Flick on the sideline before entering the locker room tunnel alone.
Barcelona lead Real Madrid by nine points with two matches remaining before they face each other at the Camp Nou on May 10th.
Barcelona will visit Getafe on Saturday and begin training without Yamal. Flick could replace Yamal on the right with winger Rooney Bulge, or mix things up front and play with an extra midfielder.
Yamal leads Barcelona in goals (24) and assists (18) in all competitions.
“This is not over. This is just a pause,” Yamal wrote in a social media post. “I will come back stronger and more motivated than ever and will be even better next season.”
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