Ines Garcia Draws Attention With Candid Update on Herpes Outbreak

Published 13:24 9 Nov 2026 GMT

She's been praised for being open about her struggles

It's been a tough few weeks for Lamine Yamal and his girlfriend's struggles with herpes probably isn't improving his mood.

The 19-year-old football sensation had to endure coming third at the Ballon d'Or, as Harry Kane became the first Englishman to claim the individual prize since Michael Owen, leaving Yamal and his uncle particularly upset.

Although he claimed best young player, the teenager then lost out in El Classico as Real Madrid claimed victory in the fierce derby at the Nou Camp.

So you'd hope that things were going ok in the wonderkid's personal life but it hasn't been a fun time for his girlfriend Ines Garcia, who has been speaking online about her struggles with herpes.

Advert

Now, you might be thinking that it's a rather intimate issue to be discussing with your, checks notes, five million followers on Instagram, but it turns out it's mainly just affecting her face.

After all, if you've ever had a cold sore, you've also technically had herpes and not only is there no cure, but it never actually leaves your body.

Ines on her Instagram stories (ineesgaarcia/instagram)

When the winter months roll around, the cold weather brings together several common triggers that wake up the dormant herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) living in your nerve cell, and despite her expensive skincare brands, Garcia is no different.

In a recent social media post, she wrote: “It had been a long time since I’d had a herpes outbreak… Do you remember about a year ago??

“I was getting at least one a month. Yesterday I woke up with one on my nose, and I’ve been looking like this 24 hours a day.”

Transmission can't even be prevented by condoms so there's perhaps no surprise that the STI has been rising in numbers in recent years, with the UKHSA issuing a warning earlier this year which also clarified some misinformation about the infection.

It read: “It’s a common STI, and many people have no symptoms.

“You can catch it through skin-to-skin contact like touching or rubbing, so it can be passed on without having penetrative sex.”

I'm sure things could be worse for the young couple (Lars Baron/Getty Images)

So, Yamal, who has also been ruled out of Spain's upcoming matches in the international break due to injury, probably can't even get too close to his girlfriend during his time off, even if the cold sore is only on her nose.

Still, he's 19, a millionaire and one of the best footballers on the planet playing for his home club, so I'm sure he will get over it. And for Garcia, while it's good to be open about an often stigmatised subject, perhaps the 21-year-old might want to keep it to herself if she does happen to get any other symptoms elsewhere.

Featured Image Credit: FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images

Topics: Football, Health, Celebrity News, Social Media