Spain's midfield options at Euro 2020 were embarrassingly good. La Roja could call on Thiago Alcantara, Sergio Busquets, Koke and Rodri in central areas alone. Thiago and Rodri, though, found themselves watching from the bench for the most part. Instead, manager Luis Enrique deployed an 18-year-old Pedri in the starting XI — and kept him on the pitch for every single minute of the tournament.
The Barcelona midfielder would, of course, end up being one of the players of the tournament, announcing himself as one of Europe's brightest talents. Since then, he has only improved, starring for Barca and collecting 18 Spain caps before his 21st birthday. That success has come at a cost, though: Pedri simply cannot stay fit. A series of muscle injuries — a product of overuse in his early years — have prevented him from becoming truly world-class.
It's an eerily familiar tale for Spanish football. They did the same with Ansu Fati, who has been through four knee surgeries — and is still 21. Gavi could also be in danger, logging nearly 8,000 minutes of top-tier football despite only just turning 19.
And now, another potential victim has emerged. Lamine Yamal has excelled for Barcelona in recent weeks, and was arguably the best player on the pitch in their 4-3 win over Villarreal on Sunday. That has led to reports that the 16-year-old is in line for a Spain call-up for September's Euro 2024 qualifiers. He certainly has the talent to play at that level, while there remains a fear that Morocco could tempt him to switch international allegiance, but there is a level of responsibility that must be taken here.
Spain is a country that has, for too long, run its youngsters into the ground at an early age. Yamal, then, should be managed delicately, or risk falling into the same trap as some of his equally promising team-mates who have seen their careers stall at an early age.