Spain's Hero: "I Can't Believe It, I Didn't Expect It to Happen Again"

Midfielder Mikel Merino admitted his astonishment at becoming Spain's hero for a second consecutive match, scoring crucial goals as a substitute. He netted the sole winner against Portugal in stoppage time, then followed up with the decisive goal in the 2-1 victory over Belgium, again in the dying minutes.

“How do I feel? I still can’t believe it. To do it again… I thought it wouldn’t happen for a long time, but here it is, it’s repeated itself. It seems coincidences don’t exist, and if you come in prepared, the ball finds you again. I’m incredibly happy. I doubt this will happen again, but hopefully, we’ll see what happens. We have two more matches to become world champions. Hopefully, we can achieve it. Our performance at the World Cup is a social phenomenon that unites the entire country. Bringing so much joy is a source of pride for me. The match against France will be a tough contest. However, in the semifinals, we can’t expect anything less – only elite teams are left. We will go into the game with hunger and desire,” Merino commented after the quarter-final victory at the 2026 World Cup.