This is the second international break of the 2025-2026 season, and Lamine Yamal has a week off. That is good news for the 18-year-old player, who is in dire need of a break.
However, this is bad news for Barcelona and the Spanish national team, because Yamal will spend this time recovering from a groin injury suffered in the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Yamal's injury could be the result of bad luck and the harsh intensity of top-flight football. But given his incredible appearances - 130 professional games and 8,158 minutes of play before turning 18 - the concern about overload and the risk of football overwhelming young talent has become alarming.
No 18-year-old player has reached as many appearances and minutes as Yamal has played. His dense playing schedule has made FIFPRO, the World Gunners' Federation, make Yamal's case a typical study in a 51-page report titled "overwork and unprotected work - the health of players and the impact on performance".
Dr. Darren Burgess, Chairman of FIFPRO's Performance Consulting Network, commented: "The increasing intensity of modern football is already a big challenge for experienced professional players. But for young players aged 16 to 20, the risk is much higher.
At a stage where their physical and mental health are still developing, facing a tight schedule and high-intensity training sessions can have long-term consequences for their performance and career lifespan."
So how much is Yamal superior to his peers? The answer is both impressive and worrying.
Before his 18th birthday, Yamal had made 130 appearances for Barcelona and the Spanish national team - nearly double that of second-placed Pau Cubarsi, an 18-year-old defender with 69 appearances. Followed by two midfielders Gavi (60) and Pedri (49).
Not only within Barcelona and the national team, Yamal's achievements have far surpassed most of the players of the same age and level of competition.
Yamal's brilliant performance in 2024 helped him be honored as the European Golden boy, an award award presented by Tuttosport (Italy) to the best U21 player in Europe. He achieved this title after playing 8,158 minutes before his 18th birthday - a number that clearly shows the resilience and rare influence of the young Spanish talent.
No one among the three most recent award winners - Jude Bellingham (2023), Gavi (2022) and Pedri (2021) - can match Yamal in terms of playing minutes at the age of 18.
Bellingham was closest, with 6,216 minutes played before turning 18, while Gavi (4,195 minutes) and Pedri (3,811 minutes) both had significantly lower figures.
Bellingham's playingload was once a worrying topic. The midfielder of Real Madrid and England has continuously played at club level since his explosion at the age of 16 for Birmingham City. However, the 22-year-old player has only reached the milestone of 100 appearances for the team once he is 18 years and 10 months old.
What about Yamal? The Barcelona player broke the record, becoming the youngest player in history to reach the 100-match mark, when he did so at the age of 17 and 7 months - surpassing the old record of Romelu Lukaku for 4 months.
Since making his Barcelona debut at the age of 15, 9 months, 16 days, in the match against Real Betis in April 2023, Yamal has been almost immune to injuries. During his short but impressive career, he has only missed 18 matches for Barcelona and the Spanish national team.
However, according to Transfermarkt statistics, he has been out for a total of 133 days due to injury since his first-team debut.
