It had to be Mikel Merino.
Spain's savior came through again with a substitute goal in La Roja's 2-1 defeat of Belgium in a World Cup quarterfinal Friday afternoon in Inglewood, California, US.
Merino has continued to reward coach Luis de la Fuente's faith in him as he recovered from a stress fracture in his right foot, which kept him on crutches for two months and on the sideline for most of 2026.
But he's back and a major reason Spain, the 2010 World Cup champions, have a showdown with France in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday with the winner advancing to the World Cup final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
France seek their third straight final, having defeated Croatia in 2018 before losing to Argentina four years ago. The French will also be looking for revenge after losing to eventual champion Spain 2-1 in the semifinals of the 2024 European Championship.
