Spain star Lamine Yamal’s World Cup status unclear after injury with Barcelona

The consensus World Cup favorite could be in danger of missing its top attacking option after Spanish forward Lamine Yamal sustained an injury while playing for Barcelona on Wednesday in a La Liga match.

According to ESPN, ⁠club officials believe Yamal sustained ⁠a torn hamstring, though a full prognosis won’t be known until he undergoes scans on Thursday.

The 18-year-old superstar drew a foul that led to a penalty ⁠kick, which Yamal stepped up and scored in the 40th minute against visiting Celta Vigo. However, once the ball hit the net, Yamal didn’t celebrate. Instead he went down injured. He clutched at his left hamstring ahead of exiting.

“We have to wait,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said postgame. “We have to see what it is. There is something. He felt it. After the goal, he would not leave the pitch without reason.

“So it’s something. ⁠Something ⁠happened. Hopefully it’s not so bad, but we have to wait until tomorrow.”

Midfielder Pedri, Yamal’s teammate with both Barca and the Spanish national team, said according to ESPN, “Hopefully Lamine will only miss a few weeks. I wish him the best of luck. He needs to remain calm because he’s young and will surely recover well.”

The goal was Yamal’s 16th in 28 ⁠La Liga matches this season (his 24th in 45 games in all competitions), and it led Barcelona to a 1-0 win. The result leaves Barcelona with a nine-point lead on second-place Real Madrid in the league standings, so Barca are comfortably on course to claim the league title regardless of Yamal’s health.

The bigger question is whether the ⁠injury ‌could impact ‌Spain’s chances at the World Cup this summer ⁠in North America.

Spain is scheduled for ‌Group H matches on June 15 against Cape Verde and on June 21 against Saudi Arabia, both ⁠in Atlanta, then against Uruguay on June ⁠26 in Zapopan, Mexico.

Spain won UEFA Euro 2024 in part due ⁠to contributions from a then-16-year-old Yamal. A sublime playmaker and finisher, Yamal has six goals in 25 career appearances for the Spanish national team.