Yamal, Yamal... But where is Gavi? And, if you recall: Fati?

If you follow football, then you certainly know who Lamine Yamal is.

The 17-year-old prodigy from Barcelona is being hailed as the next big thing, with comparisons to Lionel Messi and claims that he might even surpass Kylian Mbappé.

But today, we’re not here to discuss Lamine’s achievements. We hope he truly becomes a global star, dazzling the world with his football skills. However, there’s a problem: Lamine might be playing for the wrong club.

We’re not saying Barcelona is a weak team—far from it. But the way the Blaugrana handle their young talents is concerning.

Take Marc Bernal, for instance. At just 17 years old, he played in three La Liga matches in the first four rounds. And what was the result? A devastating knee injury. He had surgery at 17 and is out for the entire season.

When will Laporta realize that these kids—because they’re not even 18 yet—shouldn’t be subjected to such physical strain?

And Bernal is just the latest example. Let’s talk about Gavi. Where is he now? Yes, the young Spaniard got injured playing for the national team against Georgia, not for Barcelona. But think about how many games the then 19-year-old had already played that season! He threw himself into tackles, pushing his limits, all to prove to the coach and the club that he is their future.

Yet, Gavi hasn’t played for 10 months. Only in mid-September did he return to training after tearing his ACL and damaging his meniscus. And this happened at just 20 years old!

• Injured last November. Gavi has returned to partial training

And what about Ansu Fati? Remember him? Nowadays, he’s mostly in the news for lifestyle topics (like when Yamal's ex, Alexia Padilla, posed in his jersey). But Fati still holds the record as the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history—17 years and 40 days. Yamal, who scored against Monaco, did it at 17 years and 68 days.

So, where has Fati gone? In the summer of 2023, he was loaned to Brighton. Under Roberto De Zerbi, he played 19 matches in the Premier League, scoring only two goals. Now, he’s back in Catalonia, warming the bench.

On November 7, 2020, in a match against Betis, the young forward tore his meniscus and was out for a year. Meniscus… does that sound familiar? Leo Messi, when he left Barcelona, passed on the iconic No. 10 shirt to Fati, but so far, Ansu hasn’t lived up to the expectations—and likely never will.

• Good news for Flick. The Barcelona winger has renewed training

But the problem isn’t Fati. The issue lies with Barcelona’s management, which seems to believe they can develop a new Messi. In reality, these young talents are suffering. Bernal’s case is fresh in our minds: Laporta deliberately relied on 17-year-old Marc to fill the midfield in the absence of Frenkie de Jong, knowing he had no other options like Roberto, Gündogan, or Romeu. And the result? Another injury.

Now, let’s take a look at Pep Guardiola, Barcelona’s former coach, who is currently managing Manchester City. Under him, players like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis, and Oscar Bobb have emerged. Yes, Bobb got injured, but not due to excessive strain—it was an unfortunate incident in training. Despite having a fracture, he’s only out for 3-4 months.

What do all these players have in common? None of them were pushed to play 90 minutes every game at 17-18 years old, as is happening with Barcelona’s young talents.

Barcelona, you won’t develop another Messi this way—you’ll ruin the careers of your young stars! We wish Lamine Yamal all the best and hope he doesn’t follow the same path as Gavi, Fati, and others...