Last week, it was confirmed that Lamine Yamal was suffering with a pelvis injury, which became known after his appearances for Spain in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Türkiye. He missed Barcelona’s victory over Valencia on Sunday, and he is also a doubt for the Champions League opener against Newcastle United.
Hansi Flick criticised the Spanish national team’s handling of his player during the international break, but according to former player Santiago Canizares (via Sport), the injury was partially self-inflicted.
“Forget about the type of injury, but focus on the global one. You spend nine days with the national team, working, stuck in a hotel, traveling and playing two games… His thing is when you come, you rest. These things one learns. It’s not all about making money, making ads.
“Juan Gómez Juanito, who was my coach at Mérida, would give us a terrible scolding if he saw us standing on the day of the match, but a tremendous anger. He was obsessed with this. He would tell us to rest, to lie down because the game is this afternoon – ‘I don’t want anyone standing here at the hotel reception. I want you resting’.
“It is clear that the footballer has to have a balance between rest and effort. In addition, the cracks have an added problem. They have a very tight schedule. When the other breaks the others go foul. And then he comes back from this trip and starts recording an ad. These are things that the child must learn. In the end he has 18 years of sunshine. He doesn’t know everything either…”
Canizares claims relate to Lamine Yamal’s work with Adidas
Recently, Lamine Yamal launched his own pair of football boots in collaboration with Adidas, for which he also did a photoshoot. This is what Canizares is referring to, although it is unsure whether this had an affect on the injury coming about.
Santiago Cañizares, was injured in a freak accident just before the 2002 World Cup. He dropped a bottle of aftershave (cologne) in his hotel bathroom, shattering it. A shard of glass cut his big toe, severing a tendon, which ruled him out of the tournament.
It’s a good advice to rest but this nothing to do with his pelvix injury. Did he suffer on his stamina or was he fatigued when playing?. He was still one of the best players on the field.
He is trying to point out that these young players should prioritize rest, and reduced game time. A little of “non game” activities put together is very significant.