Lamine Yamal Injured After Key Goal: Out for 2 Months, Barça Loses Its Star in the League but Aims for the World Cup

Lamine Yamal got injured after scoring the decisive penalty against Celta: 2-month absence, Barça loses their game-changer, arrives at the World Cup

The blow after the decisive penalty kick

FC Barcelona suffered a major blow at Balaídos: Lamine Yamal was injured just after scoring the winning penalty against Celta Vigo. The winger suffered a tear in the hamstring of his left leg and will be out for between one and a half and two months. He will miss the remainder of La Liga, although in principle he should be fit for the World Cup. For Hansi Flick, losing his most impactful player at the end of the season is a major setback

His numbers at Barcelona

His current season had already been affected by the pubalgia he has been dealing with since the start. Even so, his numbers are unbelievable: 45 games, 24 goals, and 17 assists in 3,702 minutes. His impact on the team was undeniable. However, when he was absent, Barça delivered: in six games without him, they posted five victories and one defeat. In the Champions League, a clean sweep: victories over Newcastle (1-2) and Slavia Prague (2-4). In La Liga, they thrashed Valencia (6-0), Getafe (3-0), and Oviedo (1-3), with the painful exception of Sevilla (4-1)

Lamine Yamal's upcoming absence

The contrast becomes apparent when looking at the 2024–25 season. During that season, the team suffered much more from his absence: three LaLiga matches without him, zero wins (two losses and one draw). In the Champions League, there was a win against Brest (3-0), and in the Copa del Rey, a win against Barbastro (0-4). The overall record was mixed: five games, two wins, two losses, and one draw. Across both seasons, Flick's Barça played 11 games without Lamine: seven wins, three losses, and one draw.

Beyond the numbers, Yamal established himself as a key player capable of creating imbalance and turning the tide of games in one-on-one situations. Flick will have to turn to alternatives: Raphinha as the first choice, Fermín López, Ferran Torres, Marcus Rashford, and the young Bardghji, who has already demanded a greater role and could get it in this home stretch without Barça's No. 10