As he rehabs his injured left hamstring, Lamine Yamal is staying behind at Spain’s base camp in Chattanooga, Tenn., rather than joining the team for its final pre-World Cup friendly.
Spain won’t bring teenage phenom Yamal or forwards Nico Williams and Victor Munoz to face Peru on Monday in Puebla, Mexico.
Yamal suffered a partial tear of his hamstring April 22 while playing for FC Barcelona. The 18-year-old missed the remainder of the La Liga season but was chosen for his first World Cup by Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.
Spain open their World Cup on June 15 against Cape Verde in Atlanta, and de la Fuente said earlier this week that the wunderkind “could be ready” in time.
“It doesn’t mean that for sure he will play, we’ll see,” de la Fuente said. “Maybe a few minutes, maybe just practice so he can improve his condition for the second match. We will have to evaluate.”
That tracks with a report Sunday from the Spanish newspaper Diario AS, which said Barcelona have set conditions for Yamal’s return to play: No more than 15 minutes against Cape Verde, and a maximum of 60 in Spain’s second match against Saudi Arabia.
A physiotherapist for Barcelona named Fernando Galan also works closely with the Spanish national team’s medical staff and has overseen Yamal’s rehab plan, Diario AS reported.
Yamal finished second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting for the best player in the world. He also helped Spain win the Euro 2024 title after turning 17 during the tournament.
He has six goals in 25 career appearances for the Spanish national team.
–Field Level Media
