Lamine Yamal suffered a bizarre injury during Wednesday evening’s La Liga clash between FC Barcelona and Celta Vigo.
In the 40th minute, Yamal confidently converted a penalty he had won himself to put Barça ahead, a lead that ultimately proved to be the final score. Instead of celebrating, however, the 18-year-old immediately signalled to the substitutes’ bench that he had injured himself. He then fell to the ground and lay on the pitch, with his teammates—some of whom looked bewildered—gathered around him.
Barcelona’s medical team briefly treated the star forward on the pitch before he limped off, visibly disappointed, straight down the tunnel. Roony Bardghji replaced him. The exact nature and severity of the injury were unclear.
The injury could have occurred during the penalty-earning incident: Yamal collided with Celta defender Yoel Lago while attempting a feint in the box, forcing referee José Luis Munuera Montero to point to the spot.
Barely had Yamal departed the field when the match was suspended for nearly 20 minutes due to a medical emergency in the stands.
Should Spain's national coach be worried as well?
For Barça, losing Yamal for the season finale would be a bitter blow. Although the league leaders enjoy a comfortable advantage over nearest rivals Real Madrid, several matches remain before the Catalans can defend their LaLiga crown. In May they face their fiercest opponents in El Clásico.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente will also have watched Wednesday’s bizarre scenes with concern: the 2026 World Cup starts in just over a month and a half, and Yamal is a key figure for the European champions.
The Barça star is expected to play a key role in the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada, which Spain hopes will end with the World Cup title. La Roja open their campaign against Cape Verde on 15 June, with Saudi Arabia and Uruguay also in the group.
The goal against Vigo was Yamal’s 24th across all competitions this season, to go with 18 assists.
Lamine Yamal: His statistics this season
Games |
45 |
Goals |
24 assists |
Assists |
18 |