Mikel Merino
#6 · Midfielder · age 30
Club
Arsenal
England · Premier League
Caps
32
Intl goals
4
95
WC26 rating
high confidence
- Recent form
- 85
- Career peak
- 98
- League level
- 100
- Competition pedigree
- 98
- International pedigree
- 76
- Longevity
- 68
Independent rating — league strength (Opta-anchored) × competition tier × position-normalized output. Not affiliated with EA or FIFA.
Career by season
Source: transfermarkt · fetched 2026-05-29
Merino is the late-arriving midfielder Spain didn’t really have before — a 6’2” goal threat who lets De la Fuente attack set pieces directly. His Arsenal year sharpened his defensive positioning, which is what kept him ahead of Zubimendi for the starting role next to Rodri.
Strengths
- aerial duels in both boxes
- box-arrival timing from midfield
- physical engine to cover Pedri ahead of him
Recent form
Settled into Arsenal's midfield through 2025-26 as an all-action box-to-box.