This season, no player at FC Barcelona has logged more minutes on the pitch than Lamine Yamal. According to Transfermarkt, he has accumulated 3,702 minutes across 45 matches. Hot on his heels is goalkeeper Joan García, who has made 41 appearances totaling 3,682 minutes.
In a sense, it is only natural for the most outstanding player in any team to also be the most frequently featured. So far this season, Yamal has contributed 24 goals and 18 assists—both team-leading figures. Despite not turning 19 until July this year, he has undoubtedly established himself as the team's star player.
However, every player requires proper care, especially young athletes who are still in their physical developmental stages. Seven months ago, Yamal was already at the center of an intense debate over this very issue. During the 2025-26 season, Yamal missed a total of five matches for Barcelona due to injury. All five absences occurred between September and October, stemming from discomfort caused by a groin injury that had been subtly bothering him since the start of the season.
This sparked a dispute between FC Barcelona and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). At that time, Yamal had taken painkillers before participating in two World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey, where Spain won 3-0 and 6-0 respectively, with Yamal playing 79 minutes and 73 minutes in each match.
Upon his return to Barcelona, the club excluded him from the matchday squad for four consecutive games after a clear diagnosis of "pubalgia" (a common groin injury particularly prevalent among young footballers who frequently perform short-distance sudden stops, direction changes while dribbling, or instantaneous explosive sprints). Although he later made a substitute appearance for 32 minutes, he was forced to take another break and miss a fifth match.
Hansi Flick expressed his "great regret" over the Spanish national team's decision to field Yamal in those World Cup qualifiers, adding: “This approach can hardly be described as caring for the player”. Meanwhile, sources within the Royal Spanish Football Federation revealed at the time that FC Barcelona had not disclosed any injury concerns to the federation before releasing Yamal for international duty, which was why the federation did not exempt him from the national team call-up.
Subsequently, Yamal missed the next two international breaks due to physical issues, but last month he returned to action, participating in two friendly matches against Serbia and Egypt. Flick has always insisted that his players must be honest and maintain open communication regarding their physical conditions, and Yamal is no exception. The team adheres to a "zero-risk" policy when dealing with injuries or physical discomfort.
Like all other players, Yamal is eager to take the field in every match. This season, he has shown his displeasure on multiple occasions when Flick substituted him. The German head coach has therefore had to repeatedly downplay speculation about conflicts between them on this matter.
"When I was a player, I would have felt equally unhappy if the manager had substituted me—that's completely normal," Flick stated on February 22. At that time, Barcelona was leading Levante 3-0 at home, and Yamal was substituted in the 88th minute, showing visible frustration on the field.
This season, Flick has rotated Yamal only sparingly, with a frequency far lower than that of his other teammates: out of Yamal's total 45 appearances, 42 have been as a starter.
