15 things you need to know about Mikel Merino | Feature | News

Mikel Merino is now officially a Gunner, so there’s no better time to get to know our new signing a little better!

He is no stranger to football fans in England, having played in the Premier League for Newcastle United and starred for Spain at Euro 2024 when he netted a famous late winner to beat Germany during La Roja’s march to the title.

But what else should you know about Mikel? Here are a few facts to get you started:

In the blood

Mikel is the son of Miguel Merino, who played nearly 300 times in La Liga for Osasuna and Celta Viga during the 1980s and 1990s, and would later coach his son during his time at Osasuna’s academy. Sport runs through his family – his mother Maite was also a professional basketball player, while his brothers also played basketball and football.

Bull boy

Mikel was born in Pamplona in the Navarra region of Spain, which borders the Basque region. Famous for its annual Running of the Bulls festival, which Mikel has regularly attended down the years, it is the same birthplace as former Gunners Manuel Almunia and Nacho Monreal – the latter played with Mikel at Real Sociedad.

Hometown hero

Osasuna would be where Mikel would make his breakthrough. He spent two seasons there after debuting aged 18, and became a key figure in their promotion to La Liga in 2016. Late in that campaign, he hit a purple patch and scored six goals in eight games, including the only two braces of his career, to clinch the play-off success that returned them to the top-flight.

Dortmund dalliance

All that was achieved with a move to Borussia Dortmund agreed for the following year, but despite joining a star-studded squad that included Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and up-and-coming talents Alexander Isak, Mario Gotze, Marco Reus, Christian Pusilic and Ousmane Dembele, things didn’t work out for Mikel.

With plenty of competition in midfield, Thomas Tuchel tried to play him as a central defender before appearances dried up, leaving him with just nine to his name, and he was on the Dortmund team bus that was targeted by terrorists on the way to a Champions League quarter-final but thankfully escaped uninjured.

Time at the Toon

That led to the then-21-year–old trying his luck in a third country, as he joined Newcastle in the summer of 2017 on loan before the deal was later made permanent. After a bright start, a back injury interrupted his time on Tyneside and limited him to just 25 appearances at St James’ Park, with his only Premier League goal to date beating Crystal Palace in October 2017.

However of the Magpies with at least five games that season, Mikel led the way for interceptions (2.3), possession regains (9.5) and passes attempted (55.7) per 90 minutes, and boasted a passing accuracy of 79.8%.

Warrior mentality

Mikel credits his time in England with making him a better player, telling The Guardian: “When people ask about the Premier League, I tell them: when I was going to play, I was preparing myself mentally to go to war.

“In Spain, heading on to the pitch you’re thinking about tactics, positions, the ball. In England, I didn’t think much about the ball; it was more about the battle. I am who I am because of the Premier League: it made me harder.”

Hobbies

With his mother’s prowess and his brother also trying his hand at basketball, Mikel also enjoys the sport and has shown off his skills on his Instagram channel. A flick through his pictures shows that he enjoys travelling whenever he has free time, hiking and playing with his dog.

Early successes

Mikel got his hands on the European U19 Championships in 2015, and he would clinch the U21 title too in 2019. That saw Spain qualify for the 2020 Olympics, and he was a member of that side that won a silver medal. Mikel was named captain in the final with former Gunner Dani Ceballos absent, but was beaten by Gabriel Martinelli’s Brazil.

Settling in Sociedad

After short stints at his first three clubs, Mikel returned to north-east Spain with Real Sociedad in 2018 and soon felt at home. He would spend six seasons in San Sebastian – Mikel Arteta’s home town – helping to establish them as a top-six side in La Liga.

He also guided them into the Champions League courtesy of a fourth-place finish in 2022/23 that saw Mikel named in the Team of the Season. A Copa del Rey success in 2020 was the club’s first major trophy since 1982, as they beat local rivals Atletico Madrid in the final, when Mikel was named man of the match.

N5 Reunion

During his time at the Reale Arena, he played alongside Martin Odegaard who spent the 2019/20 campaign on loan at Sociedad. The duo were paired in midfield on 34 occasions, and helped achieve a sixth-place finish and reach the Copa del Rey final. After he left, Mikel wrote: “Looking forward on the field and not seeing you between the lines is going to be weird to me! It was nice playing in the middle with you, wish it would have lasted a little longer!”

Mikel also played with Kieran Tierney last season during the Scotsman’s loan spell at Sociedad, plus David Raya at international level, who have shared the pitch together on three occasions.

The Red Reward

In August 2020, Mikel was finally offered the chance to follow up his youth-level success by receiving his first call-up to the senior Spain squad. He debuted against Germany in Stuttgart, in the same stadium his dad scored in for Osasuna during a 1991 UEFA Cup tie. At the end of that season, he would feature in the Nations League final as Spain beat France to add another European title to his ever-growing CV.

Silva lining

After Odegaard’s departure, his void next to Mikel in midfield was filled by Spanish legend and four-time Premier League winner David Silva. The duo played together for three years, and Mikel admitted he learned a lot from one of the best technicians of his generation.

“We all have our ears and eyes open to learn from him,” he said at the time. “We are sponges. Every single word he says is like gold for us and helps us improve. And then there’s David on the pitch, where he’s still a magician. He knows when to tell you to give the ball, to attack, to be relaxed. I learned all that from him but, honestly, I could give you 100 examples.

Challenge to a duel

Last season, Mikel won an incredible 326 duels, more than any other player in Europe’s top-five leagues, and 40 more than his nearest rival, Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes with 286. Only Cadiz striker Chris Ramos (600) competed in more duels than Mikel (581).
He also ranked second in La Liga for aerial battles won, helped by his 6’2” frame.

Family celebration

At Euro 2024, Mikel was one of only four players to feature in all seven of Spain’s games as they lifted the trophy. In fact, only Fabian Ruiz and Rodri won possession more often per 90 minutes than Merino of outfield players featuring in more than one game.

His most telling contribution came when he headed home a 119th-minute winner against Germany in the quarter-finals in Stuttgart – the same venue he’d debuted in. As he does often, he celebrated by circling the corner flag in the same fashion his father had done after his goal on the same pitch.

Eye for goal

While he may usually occupy a defensive midfield role in breaking up attacks, Mikel has regularly been an effective force in attack too. He netted 27 times in his six seasons at Sociedad, and provided 30 assists in that time too.

Those figures only seem to be improving. In 2023/24 during his side’s push for a Champions League place, Mikel laid on nine goals for his teammates to hit a new personal high, and last season he chipped in with an impressive eight goals – two more than he’d ever netted in a single season.

Read more

The numbers behind what Merino brings to Arsenal