Barcelonas 1-0 home win over Celta Vigo on April 22 was overshadowed by inspirational winger Lamine Yamal suffering an injury, with the 18-year-old saying the timing of his misfortune hurts more than I can explain.The 18-year-old was substituted during the first half and clearly in pain, leading to concerns that one of Barca and Spains key creative presences could be out for a sustained period.This injury leaves me off the field at the time I most wanted to be [on it], Lamal responded a day later in a social media post.It hurts not being able to fight with my teammates, not being able to help when the team needs me. But I believe in them and I know theyre going to give their souls in every game.Heres the latest on Yamals progress, including when the sensation could return and his prospects of playing at the World Cup.Table of ContentsWhats the latest news on Lamine Yamals injury?How long will Yamal be out for? Which games will he miss?Will Lamine Yamal play at the World Cup with Spain? Potential return dateLamine Yamal stats, injury historyWho will Barcelona replace Lamine Yamal with?Whats the latest news on Lamine Yamals injury?Barcelona issued an update a day after Yamal was forced off confirming that the academy product has sustained a left-hamstring injury.The club added that Yamal would follow a conservative treatment plan.How long will Yamal be out for? Which games will he miss?Yamal is expected to miss the rest of Barcas run-in as Flicks side bid to seal their Liga title defence, having regained a nine-point advantage over second-placed Real Madrid by beating Celta Vigo.They have six matches remaining in 2025/26, all of which are in La Liga following their Champions League quarter-final exit against Atletico Madrid in April.The most notable match Yamal will miss is the Clasico against Madrid on May 10. Heres how Barcas schedule looks.DateOpponentsBST start timeETPTSat, Apr 25Getafe (A)15:1510:1507:15Sat, May 2Osasuna (A)20:0015:0012:00Sun, May 10Real Madrid (H)20:0015:0012:00Wed, May 13Alaves (A)20:3015:3012:30Sun, May 17Real Betis (H)TBCTBCTBCSun, May 24Valencia (A)TBCTBCTBCWill Lamine Yamal play at the World Cup with Spain? Potential return dateDepending on their severity, hamstring injuries usually take between four and six weeks to fully recover from.That could mean Lamal will be able to train fully during the final week of May. A return in six weeks would roughly coincide with Spains final friendly before the World Cup, when La Roja face Peru in the Mexican city of Puebla on June 8.Spains campaign at the finals begins against 69th-ranked Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15. Their fixtures could work kindly for easing Yamal back to action because they then take on 61st-ranked Saudi Arabia.The reigning European champions toughest-looking group-stage fixture is against 17th-ranked Uruguay in a game taking place more than two months after Yamals injury occurred.Medical expert and FIFA-certified physician Pedro Luis Ripoll believes Yamals comeback will have to be a very careful one because the injury has a 30% recurrence rate.We have to be extremely cautious with the recovery timeline, Ripoll told El Larguero, via Cadena Ser.If the injury is located in the muscle belly, were talking about a more benign prognosis; however, if its located at the junction of the muscle and tendon or in the tendon itself, the injury could be more serious: at least four to six weeks.Spains initial World Cup schedule looks like this. Kick-off times with an asterisk denote the previous day.DateOpponentsBSTETPTVenueMon, June 15Cape Verde17:0012:0009:00AtlantaSun, June 21Saudi Arabia17:0012:0009:00AtlantaSat, June 27Uruguay01:0020:00*17:00*GuadalajaraLamine Yamal stats, injury historySince making his senior breakthrough with seven goals and nine assists in 50 appearances in all competitions for Barca in 2023/24, Yamal has rapidly established himself as one of the best players in the world.Yamal contributed 18 goals and 25 assists in 2024/25, helping his club win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.The penalty that caused his injury was also Yamals 24th goal in all competitions of another extraordinary season, with the prodigy the runaway leader in terms of Liga assists after setting up 11 goals.Only Liga top scorer Kylian Mbappe, of Real Madrid, could better Yamals total of 27 direct goal involvements in the division at the time of his injury.The France captain and Mallorcas Vedat Muriqi were the only players to have surpassed Yamals tally of 16 goals in the division at the time.The 2025 Ballon dOr runner-up produced four assists and six goals in Barcelonas Champions League campaign, scoring after four minutes to put them ahead on the night in the second leg of their tie against Atleti, although their domestic rivals held off their comeback to advance 3-2 on aggregate.A scorer on his Spain debut against Georgia in September 2023, Yamal has six goals and 12 assists across 25 caps.Barcelona missed Yamal for five matches across September and October while he dealt with pubalgia a type of sports hernia involving a chronic soft-tissue injury of the lower abdomen or groin, also causing him to miss four Spain games.In 2024/25, Yamal sat out five Barca fixtures and three internationals with an ankle issue.Who will Barcelona replace Lamine Yamal with?While some regard Yamals abilities as irreplaceable, the good news for Flick is that Barca have an abundance of attacking options capable of providing plenty of threat.Brazil forward Raphinha was hoping to soon return from a hamstring injury at the time when Yamal experienced the same problem, while the likes of Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Marcus Rashford and Joao Cancelo also provide width and goals.Flick spoke before the game against Celta Vigo about 20-year-old winger Roony Bardghji, who replaced Yamal when he was hurt.Hes hoping for more playing time, but sometimes thats how it goes, Flick said, calling the Sweden international a fantastic professional.We have Lamine in that position right now, we also need him on the pitch. Roony is fantastic and Ive spoken with him and explained his situation.Hes playing with the best in the world and hes improved a lot, and well talk at the end of the season; there are still games to play.[The players are] all important, and we need them all to be better.Barcelona scored an astonishing 102 goals across their 32 league matches in 2024/25.They needed to average three goals per game to eclipse the total during their final six matches of the 2025/26 season. Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup FC Barcelona FIFA World Cup Hansi Flick LaLiga Lamine Yamal Raphinha Spain National Football Team World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Lamine Yamal injury update: Early indications suggest significant setback for Barcelona and Spain star Jon Fisher 23rd April, 2026 European round-up: Kane keeps Bayern on course for treble Nicholas McGee 23rd April, 2026 Barcelona 1-0 Celta Vigo: Yamal injured as nine-point lead restored Nicholas McGee 22nd April, 2026 LIVE Barcelona vs Celta Vigo: Commentary, updates, goals and stats for La Liga clash Jon Fisher 22nd April, 2026 Barcelona vs Celta Vigo live: Confirmed teams and full La Liga line ups, TV channel, live online stream as Cubarsi starts 101 GreatGoals 22nd April, 2026 Barcelona v Celta Vigo: Line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online streams and La Liga prediction Ben Miller 22nd April, 2026
