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The Lamine Yamal saga with the Spanish national team took another direction on Tuesday, as the Barcelona star was released from the squad ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Turkiye that will be played on Nov. 15 and Nov. 18. Yamal was called up by Spanish manager Luis de la Fuente despite the raising tension between the Spanish FA and Barcelona, as Yamal is still not at the best of his condition due to a groin issue.
Here's what to know:
What happened between Barcelona and Spain?
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It all started in Sept. when Lamine Yamal played with Spain during the international break, and according to German manager Hansi Flick, he wasn't treated carefully enough as he played both matches against Bulgaria and Turkiye, coming back with an aggravated situation of his groin issue, making him miss four matches with Barcelona. Speaking of how he was treated during the first international break of the season, Flick said, "It's a shame. He already left here in pain. They gave him painkillers, and he played 73 and 79 minutes. And between games, he didn't train. That's not taking care of the players. Spain has the best players and the best national team, but they haven't taken care of the players and that's all I can say. I'm very disappointed."
What happened this week?
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When de la Fuente called him again for the upcoming matches against Georgia and Turkiye, he said the "risk was zero," but then Yamal provided the Spanish FA a medical report saying he has to rest 7-10 days during the International break. The Spanish FA issued the following statement.
"The medical services of the Royal Spanish Football Federation wish to express their surprise and concern upon learning, at 13:47 on Monday, Nov. 10 - the day the national team's official training camp began --that Lamine Yamal had undergone an invasive radiofrequency procedure earlier that same morning to treat discomfort in his pubic area. This procedure was carried out without prior communication to the national team's medical staff, who only became aware of the details through a report received at 22:40 last night, in which a medical recommendation of 7–10 days of rest was indicated. In light of this situation, and with the player's health, safety, and well-being as the top priority, the Royal Spanish Football Federation has decided to release the player from the current squad."
De la Fuente, the manager of the Spanish national team, expressed his surprise at what happened: "I had never experienced a situation like that. I don't think it's very normal," he said. "You don't know, you haven't heard anything, you don't know any details, and then they tell you about health issues. You're left surprised." Lamine Yamal scored during Barcelona's 4-2 LaLiga win over the weekend against Celta Vigo.
Injury history
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Lamine Yamal had two major injuries over his career so far, including the current groin issue that is creating tension with the Spanish national team. The 2023–24 campaign was his first official season with the senior team, but it was the following year when he faced his first major setback, missing 21 days after suffering a grade-one injury to the anterior tibiofibular ligament in a LaLiga match against Leganes. He also began the 2025–26 season carrying a groin issue that has continued into the current month:
Season
Injury Type
Period Out
Duration
**2024–25**
**Hamstring**
Oct. 13-18, 2024
6 days
**2024–25**
**Ankle ligament injury**
Nov. 7-29, 2024
23 days
**2024–25**
**Ankle ligament injury**
Dec. 5-16 2024
21 days
**2025–26**
**Groin/pubic region discomfort**
Sept. 8-26, 2025
19 days
**2025–26**
**Groin/pubic region discomfort**
Oct. 3-16, 2025
14 days
Games missed this season
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During the current 2025-26 season, Yamal missed five games with Barcelona due to his groin issue. The Spanish winger missed the opening Champions League away game against Newcastle and four LaLiga games against Valencia, Getafe and Real Oviedo before making his comeback on Sept. 28 against Real Sociedad, he came off the bench and played 32 minutes, providing an assist for Robert Lewandowski's winning goal just one minute after stepping onto the pitch in the 2–1 victory. However, the groin issues persisted and Yamal was forced to miss the following Sevilla away game, which ended 4-1 for the home team before the International break which he missed as mentioned above. Issues he still doesn't seem to have resolved.