How Barcelona Can Replace Lamine Yamal For Remainder of Season

Hansi Flick will have to navigate the final six games of the season without his best player.

Yamal won’t feature for Barcelona again until 2026–27 | Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Barcelona are within touching distance of consecutive La Liga titles with six games remaining in the season, but they’ll be forced to fend off Real Madrid and complete their mission without their best player: Lamine Yamal.

Yamal’s 2026–27 is over after Barcelona confirmed that a left hamstring injury will sideline him for the rest of the campaign. Now, the teenager’s objective is to be ready for the 2026 World Cup.

A calmly taken penalty in the 1–0 win over Celta Vigo that gave Barcelona three points represents Yamal’s last kick of the ball donning Blaugrana colors this season. His match-winner also saw Hansi Flick’s side restore a nine point lead over Real Madrid at the summit of La Liga with only 18 points still up for grabs.

Yamal’s contributions this season are the main reason why Barça currently hold that advantage, but if the Catalans want to avoid a calamitous collapse, they must figure out how to replace their top goalscorer and assist leader.

It will be impossible to replicate what Yamal offers, but here are three ways Barcelona could replace Yamal for the rest of the season.

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Roony Bardghji’s Time to Shine

Roony Bardghji (right) has been Yamal’s backup all season. | David Ramirez/Soccrates/Getty Images

Yamal’s most natural and likely replacement is fellow youngster Roony Bardghji. The 20-year-old has been the Spaniard’s backup all season and is the only other natural right winger at Flick’s disposal.

Bardghji has shown flashes of his undeniable potential this season, but getting consistent playing time with Yamal ahead of him on the pecking order has been unsurprisingly difficult, even resulting in the young Swede publicly admitting he’s not happy with his role.

If Flick wants to stick with a profile similar to Yamal’s, then Bardghji is the best option. He’s a skilled dribbler that likes to take on his man and cut inside to his preferred left foot. The consistency and quality clearly aren’t close to what Yamal offers, but Bardghji is no slouch, and playing regularly could be exactly what he needs to unlock an extra level.

Bardghji has started just seven games in 24 total appearances all season, registering less than 700 minutes in all competitions. Five of the six goal contributions he’s collected this season have come in games where he’s been included in the XI. A vote of confidence might do him well.

It was Bardghji who replaced Yamal when he came off injured against Celta, and he remains the favorite to fill his void in coming games.

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Pack the Midfield

Fermín López (top) and Dani Olmo are not often included in the same XI. | Pedro Salado/Getty Images

Evidence suggests Flick doesn’t particularly trust Bardghji to play regularly, so another alternative would be to pack the XI with midfielders, granting them the freedom to interchange positions, appearing at different heights and sides of the pitch.

Flick has deployed four natural central midfielders in each of the past three games, with Yamal the only winger included in those XI’s. With Frenkie de Jong back to full fitness, there’s a chance Flick could be tempted to add a fifth moving froward.

With a midfield trio of De Jong, Pedri and Gavi, the likes of Fermín López and Dani Olmo could operate as dual No.10’s slightly higher up the pitch. Congesting the central areas and closing the distances between technically gifted, associative midfielders while granting them the freedom to roam around could bring out their best while also confusing opponents trying to mark them.

Barcelona’s fullbacks would provide the width, especially Alejandro Balde down the left flank, who’s expected to get more minutes with João Cancelo dealing with a fitness issue.

Without his top-two wingers, giving the keys to Barcelona’s suddenly fully fit crop of central midfielders should be an alternative Flick seriously considers, especially since it’s become abundantly clear he doesn’t really trust Marcus Rashford in high-stakes games, let alone Bardghji.

This option, on paper, is also the one that most resonates with Barcelona’s historic DNA.

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Waiting For Raphinha

It is now crucial for Barcelona to recover Raphinha for the run-in. | Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images

In theory, Flick will only have to find creative ways to replace Yamal for the next couple of games, because once Raphinha returns from injury, it’s highly likely the Brazilian takes the teenager’s spot on the right wing.

Raphinha has been out of action with his own hamstring injury since the March international break. His recovery timeline was five weeks, and reports indicate that the Brazilian is targeting to be fully fit for the final El Clásico of the season against Real Madrid on May 10.

Barcelona have tricky visits to Getafe and Osasuna beforehand, but if they’re able to navigate the next two games, Raphinha can significantly boost the Catalans and mitigate Yamal’s absence better than anyone else at Flick’s disposal.

Raphinha has almost exclusively operated on the left wing during the Flick era, but he joined Barcelona as a right winger from Leeds United in 2022, and he’s expected to play on the right for Brazil in the 2026 World Cup.

Flick will be hoping Raphinha can return to the pitch soon to at least have one of his stating wingers contribute during the run-in. After being unable to contribute in Barcelona’s Champions League elimination, Raphinha could potentially make his return to action needing to tie the bow on back-to-back La Liga titles.

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