In the great magic created by the grand talents of Barcelona, there exists a sense of danger always. Helping young pearls shine and hone their talents is just one part of the responsibility owed towards them. However, as the gems of Barcelona continue to impress, those responsible for them can end up getting carried away.
Such was the scenario with Pedri, whose spectacular talents led Barcelona and Spain to play him to death in his first season. Those games, which totaled to 73 appearances, have since left their mark on the young Spaniard. Becoming more and more injury-prone, the youngster is in recovery even right now.
Similar cases have taken place with both Ansu Fati and Gavi as well. While it is true that all three cases are unique and have their own specific alignments, there is still enough evidence to draw a comparison. This is because that information should be more than enough to understand the limits of Lamine Yamal as well.
According to SPORT, this ongoing season can be crucial for Yamal’s development. To ensure that it is not hindered like the mistakes made by Barcelona in the past, the Catalan giants need to be mindful of how their young prodigy progresses during this campaign.
Already this season, he has played 45 games between Barcelona and the Spanish National team. In fact, he has rarely not featured in games for both club and country, something that is almost unheard of when it comes to a 16-year-old player.
This unprecedented case of a player of his age being put in an environment as demanding as Barcelona, as impressive as it may be, is quite a dangerous predicament. Potentially, if both Barcelona and Spain reach the maximum amount of games they can play this season across all competitions, Yamal’s total appearance count could reach an extreme height of 69 games.
He has already played 2478 minutes in total this season. With Barcelona, he has played 1265 minutes out of a possible 3600 minutes up for grabs. On the other hand, he has played 313 minutes out of a total possible of 540 with Spain. Without exaggeration, these numbers are staggering for most youngsters, let alone a 16-year-old winger.
With La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, the Euros in Germany, and the Olympics still left to play this season, Barcelona and Spain have to be extremely careful. Yamal is a player of the future, and very few would doubt his talents are not generational.
To ensure his continuity and progression as a footballer, both his club and country must now be willing to treat him with the care and fragility that they should have shown to the likes of Pedri, Gavi, and Fati in the past.
