Their 2026 World Cup
The man for the closing minutes. He scored in the 85th against Portugal and in the 86th against Belgium, the two goals that took Spain into the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, and on both occasions he had come off the bench shortly before. Two hundred and ten minutes in the whole tournament, two goals, and both decisive.
Match by match
Mikel Merino played 8 matches for Spain: 1 as a starter and 7 off the bench. He scored 2 goals against Portugal and Belgium. He was named player of the match once.
| Round | Match | His game |
|---|---|---|
| Group H | vs Cape Verde 0-0 | Came on in the 71′ |
| Group H | vs Saudi Arabia 4-0 | Came on in the 61′ |
| Group H | vs Uruguay 1-0 | Started, off on 60′ |
| Round of 32 | vs Austria 3-0 | Came on in the 71′ |
| Round of 16 | vs Portugal 1-0 | Came on in the 85′ · 1 goal · ★ MVP |
| Quarter-finals | vs Belgium 2-1 | Came on in the 86′ · 1 goal |
| Semi-finals | vs France 2-0 | Came on in the 78′ |
| Final | vs Argentina 1-0 | Came on in the 75′ |
Who he is
- Born
- 22 June 1996 · aged 30 at the World Cup
- Birthplace
- Pamplona
- Club
- Arsenal F.C.
- Height
- 1.88 m
Data: Wikidata (CC0).
Biography
Mikel Merino Zazón (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmikel meˈɾino]; born 22 June 1996) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or striker for Premier League club Arsenal and the Spain national team. He began his career with Osasuna, and had short spells at Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United before signing for Real Sociedad in 2018, winning the 2019–20 Copa del Rey with the club while totalling 242 appearances and 27 goals. In August 2024, he joined Arsenal, winning the Premier League in his second season. Merino represented Spain in two European Under-21 Championships, winning the 2019 edition. He made his senior debut in 2020, being selected for Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup and winning both tournaments.
Osasuna Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Merino began his career with Amigó, later moving to Osasuna. He made his senior debut with the reserves in the 2013–14 season, in the Tercera División. On 23 August 2014, Merino made his first competitive appearance with the first team, starting in a 2–0 home win against Barcelona B in the Segunda División.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · opening summary of the article.
Tournament data from API-Football. See more rankings on the World Cup data hub.
Photo: Bryan Berlin · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)