MADRID, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Spain and FC Barcelona will be worried by Lamine Yamal's back problem that saw him substituted by coach Luis de la Fuente towards the end of Spain's 3-0 win in Bulgaria on Thursday night.

The win gave Spain a flying start to its 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, with Yamal again playing an important role in attack. However, the Barcelona forward had a slight back issue that saw De la Fuente rest him in the 79th minute.

Although he should be able to play in Sunday's game against Türkiye, Yamal's problem is more of a long-term worry. Due to the 18-years-old's vital role for both club and country, he gets very little rest.

Yamal has already played all 90 minutes of Barca's first three La Liga games of the season, while last season he played a total of 2,861 minutes in the league, along with 464 minutes in the Copa del Rey and 122 minutes in the Spanish Supercup. He also played 1,101 minutes as Barcelona reached the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League and 605 minutes for Spain.

It will be difficult for Barca coach Hansi Flick to give him a rest in the coming weeks, when Barcelona combines the start of its Champions League campaign with a full list of La Liga games.

De la Fuente will also need him in the international breaks as Spain plays for a spot in next summer's World Cup finals, so it is hard to see where he will get a rest between now and the end of the season. ■