Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino made the headlines during Spain’s 2-1 World Cup quarter-final win over Belgium on Friday.
La Roja went into the game as clear-cut favourites, and they opened the scoring through Fabian Ruiz in the 30th minute.
However, Charles De Ketelaere netted an equaliser for Belgium before the interval.
In the second half, Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a string of saves before he was substituted in the 71st minute due to injury.
His replacement, Senne Lammens, made a high-profile error with his handling, which contributed to Merino bagging another late winner.
Merino came off the bench to score in stoppage time against Portugal and repeated the feat to send Spain into the semi-final against France.
The Spanish media were undoubtedly impressed by his heroics. Sport handed him a 9/10 rating after his ‘golden goal’ against the Red Devils.
The outlet wrote: “Decisive. There are no words to define the value of a player like that in a World Cup. A golden goal, a hero’s goal.”
Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo described Merino as a ‘man for the big occasions’ after booking his country’s spot in a second World Cup semi-final.
They wrote: “A heroic Mikel Merino. Stepped up once again to secure Spain’s ticket to the second semi-final in its history. The man for the big occasions.”
Merino had a frustrating second half of last season with Arsenal after undergoing foot surgery in early February. He returned for the final Premier League game of the campaign at Crystal Palace.
However, the 30-year-old was an unused substitute in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, a decision from manager Mikel Arteta which is now being criticised by some fans.
Merino may be a central midfielder by trade, but he has developed a striker’s instinct since Arteta’s idea to play him as a makeshift number nine during the back end of the 2024/25 season.
He has played a significant role off the bench for Spain with two winning goals at the World Cup, and he will be aiming for another big contribution against France in the upcoming semi-final.