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Lamine Yamal's ongoing groin injury issues could be chronic without any obvious permanent cure.
The Barcelona superstar has missed a handful of matches already this season with what his club described as 'a problem in his pubic area'.
And the 18-year-old was seen grimacing in pain during his side's 2-1 defeat by fierce rivals Real Madrid in El Clasico last weekend.
Evidently the winger is still struggling with the huge discomfort and according to Spanish publication Sport his condition is called Pubalgia, with club bosses fearing the pain is chronic and incurable.
Pubalgia is a condition that causes muscles to converge in the groin area causing pain and discomfort rather than a strain or pull to the muscle, the usual injury suffered by footballers in that area of the body.
Occasionally it is referred to as sports hernia and is caused by an imbalance in the muscles in the groin and abdomen.
Lamine Yamal has a groin condition that could be chronic and give him lasting pain
Physical therapy and rest are usually the treatments used to ease the issue and Yamal will hope it does not prevent him operating at his blistering best.
A former Barcelona physio suggest to Sport it could be growing pains: 'We can say that there are multiple factors that cause this pain in the pubis. This can be caused by their growth stage, in which their body statics have changed and there have been muscles that have suffered as they grow.
'We will have to live with it and we will have to do preventive and compensatory work to give it guarantees to be able to play at the highest level.'
Even though he's been sidelined at time this term, the young Spaniard has still scored twice and laid on five assists in six LaLiga appearances – adding another goal in the 6-1 Champions League demolition of Olympiacos.
Yamal is on track to have a remarkable career and his early trajectory even eclipses that of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when they were his age.
He burst onto the scene at 15 and has already won two LaLiga titles, a domestic cup and the Spanish Super Cup as well as Euro 2024.
If there is a silver lining for Yamal, it is that Messi also suffered with Pubalgia and managed the condition to still be able to perform at the very highest level.
Speaking to Buenos Aires radio station club94.7 six years ago, Messi said: 'Pubalgia is complicated.
Yamal is still suffering with 'trouble in his pubic area' - the Barcelona star recently shared a snap of himself shirtless with new girlfriend Nicki Nicole
Yamal will have to manage the condition rather than find an obvious permanent cure
'I suffer from it for a while now, I do little training and I can not play all the games.
'It is not a problem that can be solved overnight. I feel better now, but I still have not recovered and I still need treatment.'
It will also have to be a balance on his workload struck between club and country, with manager Hansi Flick annoyed at the national side earlier this season.
He said: 'Lamine goes to the national team with pain, didn't train and had painkillers to play.
'They were three goals up in every match and he played 79 and 73 minutes.
'Between the matches, he didn't train. This is not taking care of players. Spain have the best team in the world and in every position they are unbelievably good. So I am really sad about this.'
Yamal's elevation to one of the world's best players has seen a huge rise in attention and interest in his off-the-pitch antics, of which there have been plenty.
He is the highest-profile teenager in world football and reportedly earns a remarkable £325,000 per week at the Spanish giants.
According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, Yamal is now preparing to splash out millions on the mansion which was once owned by former Barcelona defender Pique and his ex-wife Shakira.
Pique and Shakira, who announced their split in June 2022 after almost 12 years together, resided in the mansion during most of their relationship.
The property, which was built in 2012 and includes three separate houses across an acreage of 3,800 square feet, was listed at €14million (£12m) in 2022 when Pique and Shakira separated.
According to the Spanish newspaper, the value of the mansion has dropped by €3m (£2.6m) because one of the other residences has since been sold off separately.
Yamal went public with 25-year-old Argentine pop star Nicki Nicole (above) over the summer
The mansion, which is still on the market, is now worth €11m (£9.5m) and would come with the two remaining homes — including six bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Although Yamal is interested in the property at its current value, it is claimed the Barcelona teenager would spend a hefty amount on renovations for the property in order to meet his personal tastes and needs.
Yamal is understood to have already bought new homes for his mother, father and grandmother, with family a key aspect of his life away from the football pitch.
Over the summer, the Spaniard went public on his relationship with 25-year-old Argentine pop star Nicki Nicole, who has been regularly been spotted at the Nou Camp during Yamal's matches season.
