Lamine Yamal has made a difficult start to the new season with Barcelona, falling well short of the extraordinary level he has established over the past year despite the Catalan club opening its campaign with a dominant 5-0 victory over Elche.
The issue was not simply that Yamal failed to score or provide an assist. His overall performance was unusually subdued, and he was substituted around the hour mark before cameras captured his visibly frustrated and dejected reaction on the bench.
According to Sports Illustrated, it has now been more than four months since Yamal produced a truly special performance, raising questions about what has caused the dramatic change in his level.
One of the most significant factors is the hamstring injury he suffered against Celta Vigo on April 22, which brought his 2025–26 club season to an early end. Although Yamal recovered in time to represent Spain at the 2026 World Cup, his performances have not returned to the level he displayed before the injury.
The statistics highlight the difference. Across his final nine official matches before the injury, Yamal scored five goals and provided three assists, completed 37 of 60 attempted dribbles and created 18 chances. In his nine matches after the injury, those numbers dropped to one goal, no assists, 28 successful dribbles from 49 attempts and eight chances created.
This is also not the first significant muscular problem Yamal has dealt with. Earlier in the 2025–26 season, he struggled with pubalgia, which affected him well into the winter. However, that issue did not appear to change his playing style in the same way his current situation has.
The normally fearless winger now appears more hesitant when taking on defenders, while his decision-making and final pass or shot have also become less consistent. Against Elche, he completed just one of two attempted dribbles, compared with nine successful dribbles from 16 attempts in his previous full game for Barcelona. He also created just one chance after producing eight in his previous appearance at the same stadium.
Yamal is fit enough to play, but he has yet to rediscover the confidence that has been at the heart of his brilliance since breaking into Barcelona’s first team.
There have also been reports in Spain suggesting that Yamal has been unhappy with some of Barcelona’s decisions during the summer transfer window, particularly regarding the departures of players close to him.
Héctor Fort is reportedly heading toward Real Sociedad, while Marc Casadó has been strongly linked with a move away and was not included in Barcelona’s squad against Elche. Yamal has been close to both players since their academy days.
The situation became even more complicated after Hansi Flick left Alejandro Balde out of the squad against Elche and publicly questioned the full-back’s commitment to Barcelona amid growing transfer speculation.
There is no confirmation that these developments have affected Yamal’s mood or performances, but the situation is certainly worth monitoring as the final days of the transfer window approach.
Flick, meanwhile, has publicly backed his young star and offered another explanation for his subdued season debut. The Barcelona manager revealed that Yamal had experienced illness symptoms and headaches, while also pointing out that the teenager had only recently returned from a three-week holiday and had trained for just a few days.
Flick stressed that Yamal could not reasonably be expected to immediately reach his best level, while also highlighting his involvement in the situations that produced Barcelona’s first two goals against Elche.
The next major opportunity will come against Athletic Club in Barcelona’s first home match of the 2026–27 season at Camp Nou. For Yamal, it represents a chance to put the difficult opening behind him and remind everyone why he has been regarded as one of the most exciting players in world football.