**Mikel Merino says his difficult battle to recover from injury in time for the World Cup was all worth it after his late winner against Portugal.**
The Arsenal midfielder came off the bench to score the only goal of the game in second-half stoppage time as Spain progressed to the quarter-finals.
[Merino missed four months of action for Arsenal](https://hayters.com/mikel-merino-arsenal/) earlier this season because of a foot injury before returning in the final game of the Premier League campaign.
And the midfielder says his late winner for his country was a reward for all the difficult moments he has had.
“It was such a huge relief,” Merino reflected after his later winner. “Just a few months ago, being here was unthinkable (because of injury), and now here I am, as I said before, at the very top, enjoying one of the happiest moments of my career.
“And well, now I remember all those tough times, all the people who were supporting me, all the people who kept pushing me on even when I’d lost faith in myself. Sometimes I found it hard to believe I could be here, and well, every day of hard work, every moment of doubt, has been worth it. Now it all makes sense.”