How Many Games Will Lamine Yamal Miss for Barcelona?

Lamine Yamal's 2024 has officially come to an end after Barcelona announced the 17-year-old suffered a grade 1 ligament injury in his right ankle keeping him out of action for three to four weeks.

In a day that began with celebration as Yamal showcased his recently won 2024 Golden Boy trophy to the Barça faithful at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, quickly soured. Leganes midfielder, Yvan Neyou, slid to clear the ball but caught Yamal with his back leg, awkwardly twisting his ankle 16 minutes into the contest.

The Barcelona winger laid on the ground, visibly in pain as doctors checked up on him. Surprisingly, Yamal stayed in the game; however, he was clearly in discomfort, far from his best and finally made way for Gavi in the 75th minute of a match Barcelona ended up losing 0–1.

Tests carried out on Monday revealed the extent of the injury and bad news continue to pile up for Barça who are now barely hanging on to the top spot in La Liga and could be overtaken by both Atlético and Real Madrid, who have a game in hand.

Hansi Flick will be forced to go into the new year without one of his most valuable players.

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How Many Games Will Lamine Yamal Miss for Barcelona?

Yamal looks set to miss Barcelona's next three games in all competitions. The Kopa Trophy winner will be on the stands for a pivotal league match against Atlético Madrid on Dec. 21, a game of significant title implications as the halfway point of the season is reached.

Fortunately for Barcelona and Yamal, the team has a 14 day break between the match against Atléti and their Copa del Rey third round fixture against third division side Barbastro, a game Yamal would've likely sat out even if healthy.

Barcelona's next game is a Spanish Super Cup semifinal bout against Athletic Club, in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 8. That date is three and a half weeks away, so Yamal could be available if there aren't any hiccups in his recovery. If Barcelona were to win, then their next match, the Super Cup final, would be on Jan. 12.

Following the Super Cup, Barça's next match is a league game against Getafe on Jan. 19. From this point of view, there's no point in rushing Yamal back from injury in the Super Cup. Sure, the chance at a trophy midway through the season can help give a confidence boost before the climax of the final months of the campaign. However, risking re-aggravating Yamal's injury and jeopardizing his status for the home stretch of the season isn't worth it.

If Barcelona are careful and prioritize Yamal's full recovery, then there's a high chance he misses the next three games—four if Barça make the Super Cup final—and makes his return against Getafe in a little over a month's time.