Lamine Yamal’s time with Spain this month has sparked a storm between the national team and Barcelona.
The 18-year-old returned from international duty with an injury, and the fallout is creating headlines both in Spain and abroad.
Reports (via Cadena SER) suggest the teenager suffered acute back pain before the World Cup qualifier against Turkey.
According to Spanish media, he even asked not to play. Yet doctors administered an injection before the match, and he went on to feature for nearly 80 minutes in a game Spain had already wrapped up by halftime.
A feud between club and country over Lamine Yamal
Barcelona were furious when Yamal came back unfit to train.
Head coach Hansi Flick made his feelings clear: “Lamine Yamal will not be available. He went with the national team in pain and did not train. They gave him painkillers to play. That is not taking care of the player. I am very sad about this.”
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Barca’s sporting director Deco also sided with Flick, calling for better coordination between club and federation.
He stressed that international breaks often push players too far, adding: “We have to improve our communication, we have to improve the protocols between clubs and national teams.”
Did Spain take a risk?
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has defended its actions. Officials insist they were in touch with Barcelona and that the treatment was routine.
Yet messages reportedly exist in which Spain’s medical team admitted to injecting Voltaren “because he couldn’t leave the hotel and asked us not to play.”
Despite that, Yamal was kept on the field until the 79th minute. For many, this was the real controversy. If the player needed treatment to step onto the pitch, why risk him with the game already decided?
Barcelona now face Newcastle in the Champions League without their young star.
For all the noise around injections, protocols, and medical notes, one fact remains: Spain’s brightest prospect has been sidelined before a key club fixture.
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