The 17-year-old limped off in the 93rd minute of their Nations League clash against Denmark on Saturday before returning to Barcelona to undergo further tests.
He was one of La Roja's brightest players in the 1-0 victory, having five of their 25 shots, the most by a Spain player in the competition this season.
However, he is now set for an undetermined spell on the sidelines, though he is likely to miss their LaLiga match against Sevilla on Sunday.
Yamal has started 11 of Barca's 12 games in all competitions so far, and Hansi Flick will be hoping he is not set to endure a long layoff, with matches against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Real Madrid in the league also coming up next week.
If he is not involved, it would prove a huge blow for Barcelona. This season, Yamal and Robert Lewandowski have been involved in 21 Barcelona goals in LaLiga, the best goalscoring duo of any club in the big five European Leagues.
"Tests carried out this morning on first team player Lamine Yamal have confirmed that he has a left hamstring strain. His return to training will be determined by his recovery time," Barcelona said in a statement on social media.
Barcelona return to league action this weekend when they welcome Sevilla to the Camp Nou on Sunday.
The pair had been together for 11 years and have two children, aged nine and seven.
Amid recent speculation of growing disharmony, a widely released statement via Shakira's communication agency on Saturday confirmed the couple have split.
"We regret to confirm that we are parting ways," Shakira's statement read.
"For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding."
Pique met Shakira in 2011 while appearing in her single 'Waka Waka', the official song for the 2010 World Cup, which the centre-back went on to win with Spain.
He has spent the past 14 years with Barcelona and has made over 600 appearances for the club, 40 of those coming in the 2021-22 campaign.
Barca's agreement with PR company I3 ventures came under scrutiny in February following claims the firm was hired to clean up club president Josep Maria Bartomeu's image on social media and disparage current and former players critical of his regime.
Both Barca and I3 Ventures denied the allegations and a report following an audit conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found that the club did not conduct "any defamatory campaigns" against any individual.
Summarising the report's findings on their official website, Barca wrote that "the contracting of various services related to monitoring and analysis of social networks on behalf of FC Barcelona did not include any defamatory campaigns directed at third parties."
PwC also found no evidence of corrupt financial conduct and determined that the price paid by Barca I3 Ventures' services was "within market range".
Responding to the report's findings, Barca said: "The Board of Directors instructs the Club's legal services to continue and, if necessary, bring the relevant legal action against those who have made false and unfounded accusations that have gravely damaged the institution's image and those who form part of it.
"The contents of this report, and its conclusions, will be also be brought forward in those proceedings launched against the Club based on alleged irregular behaviour that this document clarifies and denies."
Barca claimed a smash-and-grab victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday to take a slender advantage into next month's return game at Camp Nou.
The decisive goal came in the 26th minute when Franck Kessie's shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois before going in off Eder Militao.
Madrid were largely dominant otherwise, with Barca having just 35.3 per cent of the possession – that is their smallest share of the ball in a single match since Opta records began (2013-14 season).
Similarly, it was only the third time since the start of last year that Barca have recorded less than 50 per cent possession in a match.
Ancelotti was unimpressed by Barca's performance and remains confident Madrid will reach the final, despite Los Blancos failing to get a single shot on target for only the third time in a decade.
"The team played well," he told reporters. "Barcelona played like they didn't want to play.
"We haven't been good in the last third. Defeat hurts, but if we do the same in the second leg, we have a chance to progress.
"We played the game we have to play: pressing, playing with intensity. We lacked a goal, but they did nothing to score. They were lucky with a rebound. We have 90 minutes [to turn it around]."
He added: "We've failed, but we did not deserve to lose. But in 90 minutes we can score a goal in Barcelona."
Despite the obvious frustration in his voice, Ancelotti was undoubtedly impressed with how Madrid managed to control the majority of the game, forcing Barca to play mostly on the edge of their own box.
"It's a very bad result, undeserved, but it was a game well done on our part, with intensity and commitment.
"We didn't let Barca play the way they want. They had a very low block, not because they wanted to, but because we made them do it.
"It was difficult to have opportunities, we tried from outside the box, but they have great defenders and they gave us problems in the crosses.
"It was difficult to find spaces. They were very closed off. I have nothing to reproach. I am very happy and I am very excited to do the same in the second leg.
"They have an advantage, but we have all the confidence in the world to be able [to turn it around]."
The second leg is at Camp Nou on April 5.
Former Real Betis coach Setien took over at LaLiga leaders Barca on Monday after the club parted company with Ernesto Valverde.
His first match in charge comes on Sunday, with Granada visit Camp Nou.
Upon his arrival at Barca, Setien thanked Valverde for his work, though also vowed to apply his own attacking, possession-based playing style, which drew plaudits during his time at Las Palmas and Betis.
Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen revealed Setien has already put new ideas across to the Blaugrana squad, who the Germany international says will do everything in their power to ensure the 61-year-old is a success.
"We have a new coach, who is trying to change some things, everyone has their idea of football, we are listening, we try to do what they ask and give everything to make it possible," Ter Stegen told the media after being presented with the Barca Players Association award on Friday.
"We really want to continue [to be] first in LaLiga and to continue in the Champions League.
"We have a long way to go and we will give it our all. Let's go for everything."
The former Spain and Barca midfielder saw his players secure the trophy with a 3-0 win over Umm Salal that puts them 13 points clear with four rounds of games remaining.
Xavi previously helped Al Sadd land the 2018-19 title in what proved to be the final year of his playing career.
The 41-year-old stepped up to be head coach of the team following that campaign and has led Al Sadd to a string of trophy successes in cup competitions, but he was thrilled to finally land a league title.
"We created a new history for Al Sadd," Xavi said. "I am happy to win the league title for the first time as a coach with Al Sadd, after winning it as a player."
Goals from Baghdad Bounedjah, Yousuf Abdurisag and Rodrigo Tabata secured Sunday's win.
Xavi told the club's website: "I am happy to be in this group of players, officials, technical and medical staff. Our goal is to win all the tournaments we participate in.
"Special thanks to the fans of Al Sadd who supported the team with full force throughout the season and also in the championship match against Umm Salal, and we promise them to continue working to make them happy and win more championships for the club."
Those supporters will hope Xavi's message signals a long-term commitment to the Al Sadd cause, given he has frequently been linked with a return to LaLiga giants Barcelona, the club where he spent his entire career until moving to Qatar at the age of 35.
Such suggestions were revived during the campaign to decide Barcelona's new president; however, the man heading for victory in the vote on Sunday, Joan Laporta, indicated recently that Xavi may not yet have sufficient experience to return to Camp Nou as head coach.
Al Sadd's league title was the 15th in their history and a 75th trophy in total, the club said.
Bartomeu made the announcement on Tuesday in a speech confirming he and Barca's board of directors are resigning.
"We accept entry into a European Super League of football clubs," he said. "This acceptance will have to be ratified by the next assembly. We have also approved the format of the new Club World Cup.
"The European Super League will make it so the club can remain being one of the members."
A report from Sky Sports last week claimed Liverpool and Manchester United were leading talks around the prospect of a new FIFA-backed tournament featuring the world's biggest clubs.
It was claimed more than a dozen teams from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain were in negotiations to become founder members of a possible European Premier League backed by $6billion (£4.6billion) of funding.
Bartomeu's comments made it clear that Barca are one such club to have been approached to join the proposed competition, which could start as early as 2022 and comprise home and away fixtures between 18 teams.
Any final decision would have to be ratified by a vote held by the next Barca president and board of directors.
In his speech, Bartomeu did not state whether Barca's involvement in any new such competition would lead to them withdrawing from LaLiga or the Champions League.
The new Club World Cup was scheduled to begin next year, in place of the traditional pre-World Cup tournament, the Confederations Cup, with FIFA expanding the tournament to 24 teams and China selected as host.
The coronavirus pandemic means the event is likely to be pushed back until at least 2022, however.
Bartomeu's admission that Barca have accepted the plans for the new tournament is at odds with the view of the European Club Association (ECA), which last year produced a letter insisting "no ECA clubs would take part".
Writing on Twitter on Tuesday after Bartomeu's resignation speech, LaLiga president Javier Tebas said: "Unlucky Bartomeu, announcing on the final day participation in a phantom competition that would be the ruin of Barcelona, and ratifies his ignorance in the football industry.
"A sad end for a president who had success and, in the end, errors."
A hat-trick for Asisat Oshoala guided the hosts to a resounding rout at Estadio Johan Cruyff, with a brace for Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic as well.
Goals from 16-year-old Vicky Lopez and Mariona Caldentey completed the scoring, with the former recording her first for the club.
Their victorious streak in the league stretches all the way back to June 2021, having last lost to Atletico Madrid.
Barca's only three defeats in any competition in that time all came in Europe.
They may not be able to challenge for a clean sweep this season though, having been expelled from the Copa de la Reina on Tuesday for fielding an ineligible player, though the club intends to appeal the decision.
Messi, who is currently in action for Argentina at the Copa America, will see his Barca contract expire at midnight CET on Wednesday, with no news of any agreement on an extension at this stage.
Ronald Koeman will still be in situ as head coach and must tackle back-to-back Basque encounters, with a trip to Athletic Bilbao the first match of the campaign on the road for new additions Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay, Emerson and Eric Garcia.
Sevilla away marks the Blaugrana's first September fixture as they continue a tricky start, while a daunting October schedule features Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano on October 3, three weeks before the first Clasico of the season at Camp Nou.
The return against Madrid comes on March 20, with champions Atletico in Catalonia on February 6. Last season, Barcelona took a solitary point from four matches against their fellow heavyweights.
They will need to improve upon that return if they are to make the most of a May run-in of Real Mallorca, Real Betis, Celta Vigo, Getafe and Villarreal.
Barcelona's 2021-22 LaLiga fixtures in full:
15/08/2021 – Real Sociedad (h)
22/08/2021 – Athletic Bilbao (a)
29/08/2021 – Getafe (h)
12/09/2021 – Sevilla (a)
19/09/2021 – Granada (h)
22/09/2021 – Cadiz (a)
26/09/2021 – Levante (h)
03/10/2021 – Atletico Madrid (a)
17/10/2021 – Valencia (h)
24/10/2021 – Real Madrid (h)
27/10/2021 – Rayo Vallecano (a)
31/10/2021 – Deportivo Alaves (h)
07/11/2021 – Celta Vigo (a)
21/11/2021 – Espanyol (h)
28/11/2021 – Villarreal (a)
05/12/2021 – Real Betis (h)
12/12/2021 – Osasuna (a)
19/12/2021 – Elche (h)
02/01/2022 – Real Mallorca (a)
09/01/2022 – Granada (a)
19/01/2022 – Rayo Vallecano (h)
23/01/2022 – Deportivo Alaves (a)
06/02/2022 – Atletico Madrid (h)
13/02/2022 – Espanyol (a)
20/02/2022 – Valencia (a)
27/02/2022 – Athletic Club (h)
06/03/2022 – Elche (a)
13/03/2022 – Osasuna (h)
20/03/2022 – Real Madrid (a)
03/04/2022 – Sevilla (h)
10/04/2022 – Levante (a)
17/04/2022 – Cadiz (h)
20/04/2022 – Real Sociedad (a)
01/05/2022 – Real Mallorca (h)
08/05/2022 – Real Betis (a)
11/05/2022 – Celta Vigo (h)
15/05/2022 – Getafe (a)
22/05/2022 – Villarreal (h)
Gavi became Spain's youngest ever player this month, impressing in a Nations League semi-final win over Italy.
At the age of 17 years and 80 days, the midfielder, who was named alongside Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong, will be the youngest player to start a Clasico match since the turn of the century.
Ahead of Gavi, Ansu Fati, who has scored twice in LaLiga since returning from a long injury lay-off, was given his second start of the season in Spain's top flight, with Sergino Dest and Memphis Depay completing Barca's frontline.
Fati, who inherited Lionel Messi's number 10 jersey at Barca, is still the youngest player to appear in a LaLiga Clasico this century, having made his debut in the fixture at the age of 17 years and 48 days in December 2019.
Gerard Pique lined up alongside Oscar Mingueza and Eric Garcia in a possible three-man defence, with Jordi Alba on the left flank.
Sergio Aguero, who made cameo appearances in Barca's past two games, was named on the bench again.
Madrid went into the game looking to win twice in a row at Camp Nou in LaLiga for just the third time, and Carlo Ancelotti's side had plenty of Clasico experience in their ranks.
Ballon d'Or hopeful Karim Benzema was selected up top, with Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in midfield. David Alaba was handed a Clasico debut in defence.
Madrid went into Sunday's game on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Barca's city rivals Espanyol. They have not suffered back-to-back defeats in LaLiga since 2018-19.
Flick has led Barca to 13 wins from 15 games in all competitions, scoring 50 goals in those games while conceding just 14 times.
Some standout matches have seen Barca thrash Clasico rivals Real Madrid 4-0 while also brushing aside Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Champions League in their last match in the competition.
While Flick understood the fans' excitement after those results, he urged his side to keep their feet on the ground with a long season still in front of them.
"We have to work hard. There are many teams who dream of the same thing, of winning (the Champions League)," Flick said.
"For the moment, we're going to focus on working hard and grinding out, so then we'll see what happens. We have to focus on our goal which is to keep improving.
"A team's form fluctuates a lot over a long season. The important thing is to focus on winning the next match. Sure, after the match against Bayern everything changed.
"But we are just starting. The important thing is how we finish the season. We could say that our goal is to be in the top eight."
Flick, however, insisted he was not surprised by his side's impressive start to the campaign despite enduring a trophyless season last term.
Barca are nine points clear at the top of LaLiga and 11th in the Champions League table ahead of facing Red Star, who are without a win from their three games so far.
"Before we came here we analysed the whole team, every player. We realised that there was very good quality overall," Flick said.
"Another thing to point out is that we wanted to improve how we defend and did small changes in the way we play. The players liked it and they are happy working on it.
"The players play a big role, they are helping us a lot.
"The start was already good on the pre-season in North American and the players are very happy, although there are still many things to improve."
And Barca will be confident of keeping their fine form going against a side that has lost 81% of their matches in the Champions League (P21 W2 D2 L17).
This is the first European meeting between the two sides since October 1996 in the Cup Winners’ Cup, a 1-1 draw with Giovanni cancelling out a Zoran Jovicic's opener for the Serbians.
The club's all-time record goalscorer left on a free transfer to join Paris Saint-Germain last year upon the expiration of his contract, with Barcelona unable to secure a renewal due to the club's financial issues.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Messi could not bid farewell to Barcelona fans in person and admitted in November he was "hurt" following his exit.
Laporta admitted during Barca's Extraordinary General Assembly that he was "sad" at the sequence of events but vowed to still pay tribute to the club legend somehow, who won 45 trophies during his stint with the Blaugrana.
"I will support, lead and back anyone that finds solutions that lead to a tribute to Messi, for all that he has given to Barca," he said.
"We have to give him an eternal recognition for all that he has done.
"For me, Leo will always be at Barca. Circumstances made us do what we did but that can't spoil the recognition we have to give him and sooner or later, I hope sooner, we can pay tribute to this player who has given us so many years of glory.
"Without him, the last 20 years of Barca would not be understood."
Barcelona may choose to honour Messi in 2024, the club's 125th anniversary, which could also coincide with the player's exit from PSG as he penned a two-year deal with the option of a further year in the French capital.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is now a free agent after his deal at Camp Nou expired on June 30.
According to reports, Messi has agreed a new five-year deal with the Blaugrana while accepting a substantial pay cut – although there has yet to be official confirmation.
Barca's significant financial difficulties are likely to mean other players must leave before Messi – or any of the club's new signings, including Sergio Aguero – can be registered.
Nevertheless, club president Laporta says negotiations are progressing well and is confident there will be a positive update in the near future.
"The professionals are doing their job well," he said. "We are very satisfied with how everything is progressing.
"But you know that it is a special market that requires patience, skill and sometimes some juggling.
"But I think, as the summer progresses, we will be able to give good news."
Messi has spent his entire playing career with the Catalan giants, for whom he is the all-time leading scorer with 672 goals in 778 appearances.
The 34-year-old has also won 10 LaLiga titles with Barca since making his senior debut in 2004, as well as the Copa del Rey seven times and the Champions League on four occasions.
And he recently captured his first major international honour; captaining Argentina to Copa America glory following a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the final.
Barca celebrated the milestone thanks to teenage sensation Ansu Fati, who came off the bench and scored the team's fourth goal away to Villarreal.
The two-time reigning LaLiga champions, who are four points behind bitter rivals Real Madrid with four matches remaining, netted their first official goal in April 1909.
Just over 111 years later, Barca have scored their 9,000th goal – superstar captain and six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi contributing 630.
Of Barca's overall tally, 6,165 goals have been scored in LaLiga, followed by the Copa del Rey (1,474) and the Champions League (543).
The famous stadium, which is due to undergo renovations that are expected to be completed in 2025, will carry commercial branding in its official title for the first time.
It will be known as Spotify Camp Nou, and the music streaming giant's name will also appear on the front of both men's and women's team shirts, beginning in 2022-23 and for the following four seasons.
The deal sees Spotify replace Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten on the front of Barcelona's shirts. Though the terms with Spotify have not been disclosed, the Rakuten deal had been reportedly worth up to €55million a season.
"We are very proud to announce a pioneering alliance like this with a world-renowned organisation like Spotify," Barcelona president Joan Laporta said in a club statement.
"This partnership will allow us to continue to bring the club closer to its fans and make them feel, even more, part of the Barca family through unique experiences, combining two activities such as entertainment and football, making it possible for us to connect with new audiences around the world.
"It is also a union with which we continue to take steps forward in this new era that we have started, and which demonstrates, once again, the innovative character and the constant search of excellence that distinguish Barca and have made it a unique club in the world."
The deal provides some financial respite for Barcelona, who have received warnings from LaLiga they must reduce costs to enable further squad investment.
Only last month, a record crowd for a women's football match of 91,553 attended Camp Nou as Barca defeated Real Madrid 5-2 in the same competition.
It was another five-star showing from Jonatan Giraldez's team on Friday, as the attendance record was surpassed.
Barcelona will head into next week's second leg of the last-four tie with a comprehensive lead, thanks to goals from Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen, Jennifer Hermoso and Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, who scored twice.
Barca are the Champions League holders and look well placed to go on and retain their title. French rivals Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain face off in the other semi-final, with the first leg on Sunday.
Paperwork for the transfer reportedly arrived 18 seconds after the deadline for LaLiga signings in January, causing a delay.
Araujo has now been able to make the move and is initially joining up with Barcelona's B team, Barca Atletic.
The Mexico international has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal, Barcelona said.
Barcelona have reportedly asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to rule on whether Araujo should be allowed to play competitive games this season.
In the United States, reports said Barcelona would pay €3.7million ($4m) for the 21-year-old, with the Galaxy confirming they negotiated a sell-on clause in the deal.
Announcing his departure in an Instagram post, Araujo penned a goodbye letter to the Galaxy, saying he and team-mates "fought together, side by side, for four amazing seasons that I'll never forget".
"A big thanks to the incredible fans who cheered me on from my debut to my final game," he added. "To all of my team-mates, coaches and staff, it was a pleasure to represent the badge alongside all of you. I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to develop from an academy member to a first team player, with the biggest club in MLS.
"LA Galaxy will always be a part of my story and it was an honour to share these experiences with all of you. See you soon."
Galaxy head coach and sporting director Greg Vanney said two-time All-Star Araujo deserved the chance to go to Camp Nou.
Vanney said: "It's a wonderful story of a young Southern California native who came to the LA Galaxy academy with a dream of playing for the LA Galaxy.
"He's played now three years inside of the first team and he's been recognised for his growth and the effort he's put in and how we've been able to support him over that time.
"To have clubs like Barcelona come and have interest in Jules shows, a) his effort, and b) how the process can work as you work through the LA Galaxy.
"Now he's going to be moving to one of the biggest clubs in the world, which is exciting in many ways for him and his story. This is by no means the end of Julian's story, this is just the next chapter."
The man who holds a near clean sweep of individual club records has yet to sign a new contract, with his deal due to expire at the end of June.
There was customary warmth towards Messi in the social media posts by Barcelona, who showcased a reel of his 10 best goals, and now they must hope he has more birthdays to come while serving at Camp Nou.
Messi, whose career has been a one-club odyssey, is currently on Copa America duty in Brazil with the Argentina national team.
He is Barcelona's record goalscorer and has made more appearances for the club than any other player, also winning an unsurpassed six Ballon d'Or trophies while with the Catalan giants.
Messi sensationally sought to leave Barcelona last year, looking to exercise a clause in his contract that he believed allowed him to depart at the end of the season.
The club disputed his right to go and, faced with the prospect of a legal battle to try to free himself from his deal, Messi rowed back on that intention, committing to another term with the Blaugrana.
He finished as top scorer in LaLiga with 30 goals – seven more than any other player – and helped Barcelona win the Copa del Rey under new boss Ronald Koeman.
Those goals came at a rate of one every 100.77 minutes, with Messi surpassing his expected goals (xG) total of 23.79 comfortably.
However, Barcelona had started the season dreadfully and, despite picking up form in the new year, another dip came in the closing weeks of the campaign as a promising title challenge collapsed.
That allowed Atletico Madrid to capture the LaLiga trophy, with Real Madrid runners-up and Barcelona third.
The financial impact of the COVID-19 crisis has hit Barcelona hard and the contract offer tabled to Messi is reportedly not at the same level as his soon-to-expire deal.
The election of Joan Laporta as club president appears to have been taken as a positive step forward by Messi, who was scathing at times in his criticism of the previous regime, headed up by Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Barcelona have signed the likes of Eric Garcia, Memphis Depay and Messi's great friend Sergio Aguero to reinforce their side for next season.
Clearly, the club are building in the anticipation Messi will commit, rather than be tempted by the likes of past suitors Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
"He wants to stay," said Laporta recently, speaking at the presentation of a TV3 documentary about Messi.
"I do not contemplate a no. But it isn't easy. We'll do what we can."
Ballon d'Or Feminin winner Putellas scored the fourth goal as Barcelona triumphed 5-2 in the second leg, and 8-3 on aggregate, booking a semi-final place.
The reigning European club champions were rampant in the second half, after at one stage being 2-1 down, and the flurry of goals delighted a record crowd of 91,553 spectators.
That is the highest recorded attendance for a women's football game in history. In club football terms, it surpassed the 60,739 that saw Atletico Madrid host Barca at Wanda Metropolitano three years ago.
Captain Putellas said: "This has been utterly magical. When the match finished, the fans simply didn't want to go home. There was such a connection between them and us while we celebrated. To hear them singing that they want to go to Turin was superb."
Arsenal or Wolfsburg await Barcelona in the semi-finals, before Turin's Allianz Stadium, home to Juventus, stages the final on May 21.
Putellas explained that the sight of a bumper crowd inside Barcelona's home stadium was uplifting for the women's team, who play most of their games at the 6,000-capacity Estadi Johan Cruyff.
She said, quoted on uefa.com: "When tickets sold out in just three days I admit that we were all a little surprised because it tells you how much the fans want to see you in the Camp Nou, how much they want you to win."
The experience was "beyond comparison", she added.
"To come out and see this stadium full to the brim... indescribable."
Team-mate Fridolina Rolfo gave the morning-after verdict on Thursday.
"Wow, it is hard to put into words just how special that was," Rolfo wrote on Twitter. "For me it was a dream come true and I hope that it shows young girls all over the world that football is for them and that they can achieve whatever they dream of achieving.
"We are just getting started."
Putellas suffered the injury during training just three days before Spain's opening match of the Women's European Championship last month, and was subsequently ruled out for up to a year after undergoing surgery.
Spain were understandably hampered by the Ballon d'Or-winning attacker's absence, exiting the competition after a quarter-final loss to eventual winners England.
Putellas, who top-scored with 11 goals in the Women's Champions League last season, has now spoken out on her injury for the first time, expressing gratitude for the support offered to her.
"I feel fine given the circumstances. I'm fine, getting better every day," she told Barcelona's website. "I have to work through each stage as it comes, luckily I haven't been through anything like this before, and it will be step-by-step, but most importantly, let's keep supporting the team.
"I fully believe [in the team], as do all the fans and everyone else. This is a new season and we have to target everything.
"I want to say thank you because I have felt tremendous support since what happened, with so many demonstrations of warmth.
"I can't answer everyone individually, so I'll take this opportunity to say thanks. It's been tough and feeling so many people's warmth helps you deal with it a bit better."
Putellas, who has 27 goals in 100 appearances for Spain, was influential as Barca won all 30 of their domestic league games last season, also scoring a consolation goal in their 3-1 Champions League final loss to Lyon.
