The performance of super-sub Mikel Merino continues to be wonderful for Spain. Merino scored a brace against Croatia after coming on as a substitute on Tuesday, October 6, to help his team to a 2-1 win.
Super-sub Mikel Merino has bailed his team out in the past as well. The 30-year-old midfielder excelled in the role at the 2026 World Cup as well.
Super-sub Mikel Merino: He has Consistently been Successful in the Role
Super-sub Mikel Merino was successful at the summer’s World Cup, scoring two vital goals against Portugal and Belgium, respectively. Merino has scored 15 goals in 55 matches for La Roja, with 13 of those goals coming in the last 24 matches. That means that his first 31 appearances for his country yielded only two goals.
Merino is a holding midfielder, but has played as a No.9 occasionally to make use of his opportunism inside the opposition penalty box. Even while playing as a midfielder, Merino has the knack of taking up good positions inside the opposition penalty box, which helps him score goals.
Merino has played in a combined total of 352 matches for Newcastle United, Real Sociedad and Arsenal and has scored 44 goals in them. However, his goal-scoring rate has improved in the last two to three seasons. For Real Sociedad, he averaged a goal in around every 10 matches, while for Arsenal, he scores at a rate of a goal in every five matches.
All of that highlights the emergence of super-sub Mikel Merino. The Spaniard struggles to break into Arsenal’s starting XI with the likes of Declan Rice, Bruno Guimaraes, Martin Zubimendi and Myles Lewis-Skelly in the squad, but remains an important man to come from the bench.
He won the Premier League title last season with Arsenal and has contributed in his own way towards that. As a result, Merino has stayed at Arsenal and remains a player Mikel Arteta can rely on.
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Extra Time Notes
Breaking into the Spanish playing XI is not easy, as it is stacked with superstars. They have Pedri, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, and Zubimendi to choose from in the double pivot. Therefore, Merino often has to start on the bench for the world champions.
However, the performance of super-sub Mikel Merino means that Luiz de la Fuente relies a lot on him to bail the team out when the going gets tough. Merino once again proved against Croatia that his manager was right to put his faith in him.
Merino still has a few years left in top-flight football. With almost 400 appearances under his belt in his senior club career for four different clubs ( he has played for Borussia Dortmund, too), Merino is experienced enough.
However, it is super-sub Mikel Merino that continues to capture the imagination of football lovers. He is a World Cup winner as well as a Premier League champion, which adds to his profile as a player.
One can hope that Merino will keep performing as a substitute in the way he has been. That should help him retain his status as one of the most dependable players in the world.
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