🚨 Yamal will have to live with this for LIFE. It will have a huge impact on his career… pic.twitter.com/5aQQHaXE4z
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) October 31, 2025
BARCELONA, SPAIN — Barcelona’s teenage forward Lamine Yamal is reportedly suffering from a chronic medical condition, pubalgia, a diagnosis that has been described as a major blow for the club, according to a report published by Express UK.
Citing Spanish media outlet Sport, the report states that Barcelona medics fear the condition, which causes muscles to converge in the pubic area, may be chronic with “no obvious cure.” The 18-year-old has been struggling with a troublesome groin injury throughout the current season, missing five games across all competitions and visibly struggling with discomfort during matches, including the recent El Clásico defeat against Real Madrid.
The severity of the issue was highlighted by Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, who recently accused the Spanish national team of failing to protect the player during the last international break.
Flick was quoted as saying: “Lamine goes to the national team with pain, didn’t train, had painkillers to play, they were three goals ahead in every match, and he played 79 and 73 minute. Between the matches he didn’t train. This is not taking care of players. Spain have the best team in the world, in every position they are unbelievably good. I am really sad about this [situation]. I never really spoke with [Spain manager Luis de la Fuente]. Maybe my Spanish is not good, his English is not good, so this is a problem.”
The Express UK report also drew a comparison to club legend Lionel Messi, who struggled with a similar problem during his playing days at the Nou Camp. In a 2019 interview, Messi provided insight into the difficulty of managing pubalgia:
“Pubalgia is complicated,” he told Argentine media. “I suffer from it for a while now, I do little training and I can not play all the games. It is not a problem that can be solved overnight. I feel better now, but I still have not recovered and I still need treatment.”
Despite the discomfort and chronic prognosis, Yamal has continued to produce on the field, emerging as a key figure for the Catalan giants with two goals and five assists in his six league appearances. His management and recovery will be a critical focus for Barcelona moving forward.