Mikel Merino provided another vital winning touch after coming off the bench for Spain - it's safe to say the Arsenal man is pleased with himself
09:16, 11 Jul 2026
Mikel Merino speaking in an interview
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Mikel Merino is a scorer of many important goals for club and country(Image: ITV)
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino is relishing his super-sub tag after scoring another vital late winner for Spain in the World Cup. Merino punished a spilled catch from Belgium and Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens, poking the rebound into the goal.
His 88th minute winner sent his country into their first World Cup semi-final since 2010, the year they won the whole competition. Merino also grabbed a 91st minute winner against Portugal, sliding home the winning goal to secure a 1-0 victory for Spain in the round of 16.
These late winners also came off the back of Luis de la Fuente's side's glorious Euro 2024 triumph, which saw him score a last-gasp extra-time winning header against Germany in the quarter-finals of the competition. Considering three of his 12 international goals have been late winners in the European Championships and the World Cup, it's safe to say he is more than enjoying his title.
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Merino took to Instagram, uploaded a picture of his winning goal and wrote: "Ain’t no coincidence. Here we go again!"
He also spoke gleefully to the press after he set up a mouth-watering semi-final clash against France. He said: "I'm just happy. I still don't really believe it. When it went into added time, I was already thinking about extra time, and then it happened again.
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"It appears that coincidences don't exist if you arrive prepared, and it fell to me again. I'm very happy. To be two games away from a World Cup is a dream come true, and we will keep going.
"It's something that unites the whole country, unites the whole world, because football is so beautiful. "Everyone is watching these games, so to be able to give joy to so many people, not only in Spain but in the rest of the world, is an honour."
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It's easy to forget Merino is primarily a defensive midfielder rather than a centre-forward. But such is his ability to time a run into the penalty area or follow up a team-mate's shot, he has contributed some historic goals for his country.
He has also popped up to provide many big goals for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, who has even deployed him as a striker is some other games. Merino's key goals last season include equalisers against Chelsea (1-1) and Newcastle United - the latter of which Arsenal went on to win 2-1 - and a brace in the Champions League in a 3-0 away win over Slavia Praha.
Mikel Merino #6 of Spain celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Spain and Belgium at Los Angeles Stadium on July 10, 2026 in Inglewood, California
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Merino has been vital for his country(Image: Getty Images)
While he may not be bringing his value as a starter from his favoured position, he is more than contributing for club and country. Spain manager De la Fuente was glowing with praise for Merino, saying: "Mikel is incredible. He has many qualities.
"He is a player that, across the whole World Cup, could have played in any team and done great. For us, he is the standard of this idea of this model. It is a pleasure to have him, and others, but especially him. We know that without fail, he is always there."
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