Lamine Yamal Diagnosed With Chronic ‘Pubalgia’ Injury That Can Never Be Cured

Lamine Yamal has been diagnosed with an ‘incurable’ condition that could impact the rest of his footballing career.

Barcelona Wonderkid Lamine Yamal Battling Chronic Injury Despite Meteoric Rise

Since breaking into Barcelona’s senior team at just 15 years old in August 2023, Lamine Yamal has rapidly become one of the brightest talents in world football.

In 2024, the young Spaniard played a crucial role in both club and country’s success — helping Spain win Euro 2024 and guiding Barcelona to a domestic treble. His exceptional performances earned him second place in the 2025 Ballon d’Or, just behind PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé, and made him the first player ever to win the Kopa Trophy twice.

However, behind the accolades lies a growing concern. The 18-year-old prodigy is reportedly battling a chronic groin injury that could affect him for the rest of his career.

Concerns Over Yamal’s Fitness

During a recent El Clásico, many observers noticed Yamal grimacing in discomfort, clearly playing through pain. His movement appeared restricted at times, prompting renewed fears about his long-term fitness.

Throughout this season, Yamal has already missed several matches for both Barcelona and Spain due to recurring groin issues. According to multiple reports, the teenager is suffering from pubalgia — a chronic condition that causes persistent pain around the pubic area.

Barcelona have not released an official medical statement, but Spanish outlet Sport reports that the condition is complex and difficult to fully recover from. In many cases, players must learn to manage the pain rather than eliminate it entirely.

Experts Explain the Challenge

Physiotherapist Lluis Puig shed light on the issue, explaining that pubalgia is not a typical muscle injury, but a structural imbalance affecting the pubic region where several muscles converge.

“Pubalgia isn’t a muscle tear — it’s an alteration in the pubic area,” Puig explained. “We have to work across different levels, and it’s not an injury that disappears in a month. Players often have to live with it, using preventive and compensatory work to keep performing at the highest level.”

He also suggested that growth and postural changes during adolescence could have contributed to the condition.

Sports traumatologist Dr. Ripoll, speaking to El Larguero, described the injury as “extremely difficult to treat”, warning that it can drastically reduce a player’s performance:

“It’s a very complicated injury. The pain can cut a player’s mobility and shooting power by up to 50% — exactly what we saw from Yamal in El Clásico. It allows participation, but never at full capacity.”

A Familiar Battle for Barcelona Stars

Yamal is not the first Barcelona player to struggle with pubalgia. Club legend Lionel Messi also suffered from the same condition early in his career, undergoing treatment twice between 2000 and 2008.

For now, Barcelona are managing Yamal’s workload carefully as they look to protect one of football’s most promising young talents. But with a long season ahead, the teenager faces the challenge of balancing recovery with maintaining the form that has already made him a global star.