Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has been ruled out for the final six matches of the La Liga season due a torn left hamstring, however he is expected to be ready to compete for Spain in the World Cup, his club announced Thursday.

Yamal sustained the injury during Barcelona’s 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old superstar drew a foul that led to a penalty kick, which Yamal stepped up and scored in the 40th minute. However, once the ball hit the net, Yamal didn’t celebrate. Instead he went down injured. He clutched at his left hamstring instead.

Yamal will undergo a “conservative treatment plan” and will avoid surgery, Barcelona announced.

In a message posted Thursday for his 41.6 million Instagram followers, Yamal said this, translated from Spanish by Instagram:

“This injury leaves me off the field at the time I most wanted to be, and it hurts more than I can explain. It hurts not being able to fight with my teammates, not being able to help when the team needs me. But I believe in them and I know they’re going to drop their souls in every game,” he wrote about his La Liga team.

“I’ll be there, even if it’s from the outside, supporting, encouraging and pushing as one more. This is not the end, this is just a break. I’ll come back stronger, more eager than ever, and next season will be better.”

The goal was Yamal’s 16th in 28 La Liga matches this season (his 24th in 45 games in all competitions), and it led Barcelona to a 1-0 win. The result leaves Barcelona with a nine-point lead on second-place Real Madrid in the league standings.

Spain is scheduled for Group H matches on June 15 against Cape Verde and on June 21 versus Saudi Arabia, both in Atlanta, then against Uruguay on June 26 in Zapopan, Mexico.

Spain won UEFA Euro 2024 in part due to contributions from a then-16-year-old Yamal. A sublime playmaker and finisher, Yamal has six goals in 25 career appearances for the Spanish national team.

–Field Level Media