FC Barcelona’s seven-game winning streak was extinguished on La Liga’s 13th matchday, as the Catalans conceded a winning goal to the dominating Real Sociedad. Lewandoski’s opening goal being – questionably – ruled out may have tipped the scale towards the Basques’ victory, but postgame declarations provided another explanation to Barcelona’s defeat. Lamine Yamal’s absence, due to a syndesmosis injury in his right ankle, seems to have dragged down his team’s performances.
Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s coach, admitted to reporters: “We missed Lamine today, which is normal”. Several press titles also emphasised the club’s dependence on Yamal: BeinSports wrote of Barça’s “Lamine-dependence”, highlighting that “in the two matches where Yamal hasn’t started, Barcelona has ended up losing”.
Given his record, his importance to the team is undeniable: aged only 17, he has already broken several records for being the youngest at playing, scoring, winning, in this or that competition or team. His talent needs no further proof.
Is it, however, healthy and smart from media and officials to put – implicitly or explicitly – this pressure on such a young athlete? Implying that Barça’s success relies entirely on Yamal’s presence in the team sheet is, to me, counterproductive, if not destructive for his physical and mental health.
He is not the only athlete concerned by this increasing stress on young people, and football is no exception either. It happens in cycling too: Tadej Pogacar won his first Tour de France at age 21 in 2020, making him the youngest winner since 1904. Just a year earlier, he had been recruited by UAE Team Emirates, and he was already leading the team in La Vuelta 2019. Likewise, Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel started his professional career at only 18.
This constant pressure on young athletes has already proven to be damaging. After his rookie season at age 19, Formula 1 driver Lando Norris revealed his mental health struggles due to the pressure weighing on his shoulders at such a young age.
This increasing stress threatens these young athletes with mental and physical burnout, and, at the risk of sounding dramatic, I think the whole sports ecosystem might be endangered too. Athletes are becoming professional at a progressively younger age, putting pressure on them to constantly train harder and tirelessly.
Is it a good idea to push teenagers to sacrifice their youth, their studies, to try and become professional in their discipline, in which they will then face immense responsibilities and stress? That sounds to me like compromising the sustainability of sports, its attractiveness and its number one purpose: to be, for most practitioners, a passion, a way out of everyday life and its problems.
Implementing a minimum age to become professional might be a way out of this issue which, I fear, not only disregards athletes’ wellbeing, but also threatens sports generally. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be on the federations’ leaders’ minds for now.
Photo Credits: “Lamine Yamal se ha divertido en El Hormiguero…” by ElHormiguero is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.