Spanish football federation are reportedly considering calling up Lamine Yamal for the upcoming Euros and Summer Olympics in Paris.
The last time a Barcelona youngster faced such double duty, it didn't end well. The bitter experience with Pedri back in 2020/21 saw the talented midfielder play a grueling 73 games for club and country, resulting in a never-ending struggle with injuries.
While Lamine is yet to say 'yes' to La Roja's invitation to the Olympics, let's compare how his potential game record would stack up against Pedri's if he does.
The winger has already featured in 39 games for Barca and another four for Spain.
There are nine La Liga matches left to play, at least 2 Champions League games in the quarterfinals, and at least 3 group stage matches each for the Euros and Olympics.
This totals to 43 (played) + 9 (La Liga) + 2 (UCL) + 3 (Euros) + 3 (Olympics) = 60 games.
Now, considering further possibilities:
- If Barcelona reach the UCL final: +3 games.
- If Spain goes all the way to the final at the Euros: +4 games
- If Spain goes all the way to the Olympics final: +3 games
This brings the potential total to 70 games, which is way too much for a 16-year-old, meaning the only right thing to do is to kindly reject Spain's invitation to Paris.
It won't be his last chance to go to the Olympics after all.
