Lamine Yamal is key for Barcelona and Spain, but is he headed for burnout?

It's the 2nd planetary interruption of the 2025-26 play and Lamine Yamal has a week off. That's bully quality from the position of the 18-year-old truly needing it, but the atrocious quality for the Barcelona and Spain guardant is that helium volition walk it recovering from wounded aft suffering a groin contented during the Champions League decision against Paris Saint-Germain past Wednesday.

Lamal's groin wounded could simply beryllium down to atrocious luck and the rigors of top-level football, but erstwhile the teenager's unthinkable quality numbers are factored successful -- 130 elder games and 8,158 minutes connected the transportation by his 18th day -- the shadiness of burnout and the information of shot moving its bigger young prima into the crushed becomes a worrying possibility.

No different elite footballer has registered anyplace adjacent to the appearances and minutes clocked up by Yamal by the property of 18 and his workload has led to FIFPRO, the planetary players' union, utilizing his game-time for nine and state arsenic a lawsuit survey successful a 51-page study connected the 2024-25 play titled "Overworked and Underprotected -- Player Heath and Performance Impact."

"The modern game's rising strength is challenging capable for established professionals, but for young players aged 16 to 20, the risks are adjacent greater," Dr Darren Burgess, Chair of FIFPRO's High-Performance Advisory Network said. "At a signifier erstwhile their bodies and minds are inactive developing, the demands of congested schedules and high-intensity grooming tin person lasting consequences for some show and vocation longevity."

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So however overmuch much progressive has Yamal been than his contemporaries? The reply to that is staggering, and possibly alarming.

Yamal's 130 appearances for Barcelona and Spain anterior to his 18th day are astir doubly arsenic galore arsenic the 2nd subordinate connected the database of existent players among those 2 teams: Pau Cubarsí, the 18-year-old defender, registered 69 appearances, with midfielders Gavi (60) and Pedri (49) next.

Beyond Barcelona and Spain, Yamal's numbers proceed to beryllium disconnected the standard successful examination to those playing astatine a akin level.

Yamal's sensational performances past twelvemonth saw him named arsenic the 2024 Golden Boy -- the grant presented by Italian paper Tuttosport to the astir outstanding Under-21 footballer successful Europe -- and helium did truthful having clocked up 8,158 minutes by his 18th birthday.

None of the 3 astir caller winners -- Jude Bellingham (2023), Gavi (2022) and Pedri (2021) -- travel close. Bellingham was nearest, with 6,216 minutes by his 18th birthday, portion Gavi (4,195) and Pedri (3,811) some had importantly little minutes.

Bellingham's workload has often been cited arsenic a concern, with the Real Madrid and England midfielder having b...