Barcelona are reportedly planning to block Lamine Yamal from being called up by Spain for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria as the fallout from the forward's recent groin injury continues.

The tug-of-war between club and country has long been a recurring drama in soccer, but few cases highlight it as starkly as that of Lamine Yamal.

Lamine Yamal needed only a minute to make an impact in his return to action after an injury. Yamal came off the bench in the 58th minute and set up Robert Lewandowski’s go-ahead goal in the 59th in Barcelona’s 2-1 win against Real Sociedad in the Spanish league on Sunday.

The return of Barcelona’s Ballon d’Or runner-up has come just in time for an increasingly injury-ravaged squad. As the club warned after the midweek victory over Real Oviedo, star forward Raphinha and first-choice goalkeeper Joan García are both out.

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal faces backlash after ex-girlfriend Fati Vazquez leaks private chats revealing multiple relationships and a controversial dating calendar.

While Lamine Yamal’s return is great news for Barcelona, there are still reasons for concern. Raphinha and Joan Garcia are sidelined with injuries that will keep them out for several weeks, and on Saturday, Marc Casado left training early due to physical discomfort.