Lamine Yamal suffered a hamstring injury as he scored a penalty to give Barcelona a 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo to push their lead at the top of the La Liga table to nine points.
The 18-year-old tucked away from the spot on 40 minutes at Camp Nou on Wednesday evening having won the penalty himself after he was brought down by Yoel Lago.
However, immediately after dispatching the ball beyond Celta keeper Ionut Radu, Yamal waved to the bench and fell to the ground grasping at his left leg.
He then limped off the pitch looking distressed and was consoled by boss Hansi Flick before being replaced by Roony Bardghji and heading straight down the tunnel.
Flick said: “We will see what happens with Lamine Yamal once we have a definitive diagnosis. It's not easy, but we have to accept it. The same applies to Joao [Cancelo, who also left the field]. We can only hope these are not serious injuries.”
The win moved the reigning La Liga champions Barcelona a step closer to retaining their title. They are nine clear with six games left to play.
They do still have a clash against nearest challengers Real Madrid next month and Flick will hope Yamal's injury does not keep him out of that vital game. Spain, meanwhile, will be just as worried with their star man breaking down and the World Cup now less than 50 days away. A minor hamstring injury can heal in as little as two weeks, however, a more significant tear can take four or five weeks.
Yamal, who has scored 16 goals and assisted 11 more in La Liga this season, was Young Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024 as Spain lifted the trophy.
“I hope [his injury] is for as few weeks as possible. Tomorrow he'll be tested and we'll see what it is,” Barcelona and Spain midfielder Pedri told Movistar Plus after the game. “I wish him the best of luck, and he should stay calm – he's young and will surely recover well.”
