2026-06-13 13:30:04
Mikel Merino has insisted Spain are ready to embrace the “expectation” of them in the World Cup.
The Arsenal midfielder and his international teammates – who are the current European champions – know they are one of the favourites to win the tournament and they are not feeling weighed down by pressure to perform.
He told FourFourTwo magazine: “Everyone in the Spain camp is ready to embrace it.
“Everyone that faces us does so in the knowledge we’re a top team.
“Expectation doesn’t take the energy and the focus from us.”
The 29-year-old sportsman recalled how they defied expectations to scoop their Euros title.
He said: “Actually, everyone was thinking we weren’t capable of winning the trophy.
“That was a good thing at the time – it took a lot of pressure off us.”
Merino came in off the bench in the quarter-finals to head home the winning goal at the end of extra time, and he admitted that was the “best moment” of his career to date.
He said: “It was the best moment of my career.
“It was a very tough game against probably the favourites at that stage, playing at home in Stuttgart with their massive support.
“Before that, Spain had never beaten a tournament host nation. To be able to help the team in a moment like that, it was special.”
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