Barcelona players will have to find a new way of occupying their spare time, after the disciplinary code at the club was changed to ensure that a favourite past-time of the players is no longer permitted.
The Barcelona players are already prohibited from extreme sports or particular practices that could cause injury, the most famous case in recent times being Manuel Neuer’s leg break while skiing last season.
However Sport say that many of the Barcelona players enjoyed playing padel during their time off, but this summer the code of conduct was changed to explicitly prohibit players from taking part in the racket sport. The management are keen to avoid injuries, with concern that the competitive nature of players could lead them to unnecessary muscle strains in a sport that requires plenty of short sprints.
It is no surprise that Barcelona are conscious of injuries this season. Already three key players have suffered significant problems in Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Ronald Araujo. In addition, the demands on the physiques of Gavi, Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal are high for their age, in a short squad consisting of just 19 senior players this season.