'Killer' Merino

Mikel Merino (Pamplona, 22 June 1996) is on the verge of earning his 40th cap with the senior Spanish national team. At 29 years of age, the Arsenal FC player is experiencing one of the finest periods of his professional career—“another one,” he jokes, recalling that he said the same thing two years ago.

A key figure for Spain throughout this qualifying phase for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the midfielder has played the full 90 minutes in all four matches he has featured in. His impact has been undeniable: six goals in his last four matches and eight in his last eight appearances.

Although Merino has always played as a midfielder, he admits that as a child he looked up to players such as David Villa and Fernando Torres, studying their movements—and even copying their hairstyles. Perhaps it is from there that his current striker’s instinct stems, evident in his recent goalscoring form for both Spain and his club, Arsenal FC.

The Pamplona native places special emphasis on the importance that Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, has had in his career. The pair have shared close to 60 matches together across various Spanish national team categories. Merino and De la Fuente have been growing side by side for eleven years, from the under-19 squad in 2014 to the senior team today.

In youth categories, they won the UEFA Under-19 Championship in 2015 and the UEFA Under-21 Championship in 2019, as well as securing Olympic silver at Tokyo 2020. With the senior team, Spain’s No. 6 and the coach celebrated victory in the UEFA Nations League in 2023 and the UEFA European Championship in 2024. It is an extensive list of achievements to which, hopefully, more successes for the national team may be added: “Being able to play in—and win—a World Cup is every child’s dream.”

For Mikel Merino, family is a fundamental part of his daily life. That is why the international pays tribute to his loved ones every time he scores, circling the corner flag just as his father once did. Ángel Miguel Merino, Mikel’s father and former player for clubs such as CA Osasuna, RC Celta de Vigo, UD Las Palmas, CD Leganés, Burgos CF and AD Ceuta, surprised his son with a congratulatory message that left the Arsenal FC midfielder visibly moved.