Lamine Yamal needs protecting: Barcelona and Spain must learn from Pedri and Ansu Fati issues for latest teenage wonderkid to reach his full potential

First, a comparison. There are some eerie similarities between Yamal and the three most recent objects of Spanish national fascination. Gavi, Pedri and Fati are all Barcelona players; all of them were handed their debuts before their 18th birthdays; all were in consideration for national-team honours shortly after; and, crucially, all were swiftly likened to club legends.

Fati was supposedly the next Lionel Messi. Gavi was allegedly Xavi, then maybe Andre Iniesta, then perhaps a mixture of both. Pedri, meanwhile, was — and is still expected to be — the Iniesta replacement that Barca have needed since the iconic midfielder's departure nearly seven years ago.

Those expectations, accordingly, came with heavy usage. Gavi logged almost 4,000 minutes as a 16-year-old, starting 44 of 57 games for club and country in his debut season. Pedri put in nearly 5,000 over nine months, famously playing 74 games at 18. Fati was perhaps better protected — he came into a more established Barca side — but still played well over 1,300 minutes in his debut campaign. He was, in fact, on pace for far more in his second year of senior football, until a torn meniscus ended his season — and curbed his career to this day.

Yamal, for his part, is tentatively on the same trajectory. He made his senior debut at 15, making a cameo against Real Betis during the tail end of the 2022-23 season. Since breaking into the side earlier this month, he hasn't exactly been monitored, playing at least 75 minutes in each of his first two starts for Barca. Given his impact on both games, Yamal is certainly in line for more. Overuse is, potentially, imminent.

This all came about by force. Yamal proved towards the end of last season that he could be ready for first-team football. But Xavi, rather shrewdly, protected the teenager's young legs, only allowing him eight senior minutes — despite having him around the first team for two months. Instead, he relied on regulars Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele to see out the title-winning campaign.

But now, things have changed. Dembele has left for Paris Saint-Germain in a big-money move. Raphinha, naturally, assumed his spot in the XI, but earned himself a two-game suspension for an admittedly comical elbow to the back of an opposing defender's head in Barca's season-opener at Getafe. Yamal came off the bench in that game, creating Barca's best chance in an otherwise drab 0-0 draw, and when a spot opened up in the starting XI, Xavi turned to the teenager.

It made sense at the time. Aside from Raphinha, Yamal is the only other naturally left-footed attacker in Barca's first-team squad. And Xavi's penchant for deploying an inverted winger on the right side — with an aim of finding incisive angled passes to Robert Lewandowski — made his inclusion near automatic. In order for Xavi to avoid changing his system, or utilising an imperfect fit, Yamal basically had to play.

The confetti hadn't been removed from the pitch after Yamal's match-winning performance for Barca against Tottenham at the Olympic Stadium in their annual pre-season finale, the Joan Gamper Trophy, when Spanish publication Diario AS made the dreaded comparison. Yamal, they claimed, is the best prospect Barca have produced since Messi.

They recalled a previous Gamper held at the same venue between Barcelona and Juventus, in 2005, when an 18-year-old Messi dominated the Bianconeri, producing a magical assist for Iniesta in an enthralling 2-2 draw. It is now regarded as Messi's breakout showing in a Barca shirt. The symmetry of a left-footed right winger having a similar impact, in the same fixture, 18 years later, was almost too good to ignore.

Yamal has been burdened with the Messi comparison for some time now. In 2019, La Liga's official Twitter account posted a Yamal highlight video, dubbing him a 'mini Leo Messi.' Shortly after, a headline in Marcaread "Lamine Yamal shows shades of Messi". He was 12 at the time.

Xavi didn't help the hype back in April, when he admitted that Yamal is a "similar player" to the club legend. A cursory YouTube highlights search yields results such as "Lamine Yamal SHOW vs Tottenham | Messi Vibes. 🔥" and "That's why LAMINE YAMAL is the NEW MONSTER of BARCELONA / NEW MESSI."

Such is the life of a promising attacking player from La Masia, of which there are many. But there is some truth in the accepted claim that Yamal is the academy's best product in years. He is an excellent dribbler, quality finisher, and supreme athlete for his age. The tools are all there.

But, perhaps more than anything, it is his decision-making that stands out. Crucially, Yamal knows when to dribble, and when to pass — something that can be missing in young wingers who are aiming to impress. He has completed seven of his eight take-ons in his last two starts, completed at least 80 percent of his passes, and put half of his shots on target. Throw in an assist and two shots against the woodwork, and Barca have an immensely talented, and equally intelligent right winger who can truly be a difference-maker for a top level team. Sound familiar?

Spain, then, are faced with a choice. All indications suggest that Yamal will be called up to the senior squad this week. GOAL can confirm that he has all-but spurned Morocco — who he also has eligibility for — in anticipation of a cap for La Roja. He has previous with Spain, too, tallying 21 appearances for four different age-group sides.

Top-level international football arguably doesn't make enough use of its youth set-ups, but Yamal seems to have done enough at every age group to convince the senior staff, and manager Luis de la Fuente, that he is ready for a senior appearance.

Still, is it worth it? Spain's road to Euro 2024 should be relatively straightforward, even if they have already lost to Scotland and still have two matches against Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard-led Norway to come in Group A. They should be able to make do without having to add to Yamal's workload. They will have to make do without Pedri during the upcoming break — who, in an entirely predictable turn of events, has aggravated a muscle injury — but there is ample talent in the side to beat both Georgia and Cyprus in their next qualifiers.

Perhaps the inverse is also true. These two fixtures could be ideal test runs for Yamal. After all, Cyprus, at ranked 118th, 108 spots below Spain in FIFA's world rankings. Georgia are technically better, ranked at No.78, but shouldn't offer much of a threat aside from Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Maybe that's what Yamal needs — low-pressure games, where the attention from outside Spain will likely be low. Give the 16-year-old 45 minutes, get the social media clicks sorted, and send him back to Catalunya with few extra miles in his legs.

That, unfortunately, is not the Spanish way. If Yamal is to be called-up, history suggests this could be the start of a lengthy process of muscle disintegration and career shortening.

If all had gone to plan, Yamal would still be playing youth football. Barca have known for some time that Yamal would be an integral part of their first team some day, but up until the departure of Dembele, viewed the youngster as a back-up option, a player who would spend most of the time with Barca Atletic— effectively the club's reserves — before perhaps enjoying a few minutes towards the end of the season.

He was always going to be a part of Barca' future, but with a gentler present. It's not that Yamal isn't ready, he just shouldn't need to be. Now, though, Xavi has made a call. Yamal may split minutes with Raphinha for the coming months, but there will undoubtedly be clamour from a historically measured fan base to let the teenager play.

He has, at this point, done enough to show that he can be an impact player for a top European side. Spain have noticed that, and will surely capitalise on his talents. This is a natural decision, and one that De La Fuente cannot be faulted for. Some day, he could be a truly world-class player, on par with, or better than, the best wingers of his generation. That is something for Culers and Spain fans alike to be excited about.

But a look into the past, at recent mistakes that have hampered the careers of some of the nation's great talents, suggests that caution is the best approach. Get it right, save Yamal's legs, and the best will surely come. Otherwise, a dream might falter before it truly begins.