If Spain go on to win the World Cup, they may have the English city of Leicester to thank for it.It was there in February 2025 that, with Arsenal facing an injury crisis at centre-forward, Mikel Arteta turned to Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker against Leicester City in the Premier League.It proved a masterstroke, with Merino scoring twice to secure a 2-0 win, and the ripple effects of that decision have carried Spain through the World Cup knockout stages. As he had in the round of 16 against Portugal, Merino came off the bench late against Belgium with the game deadlocked, scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory that sent Spain into the semi-finals.It is the first time in the history of the World Cup that a substitute has scored the winning goal in two separate knockout rounds.“Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what’s happening, scoring another goal in the 90th minute, with the ball dropping to me inside the box,” Merino told reporters after the game.Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has tapped into the same penalty-box instincts that the 30-year-old has developed since that afternoon in Leicester. “Before I went on, he told me to do the ‘number 10 things’,” Merino said.Perhaps those attacking qualities were always there, lying dormant and waiting to be unlocked. Merino has a versatility that makes him suited to a number of positions.“I think he is a complete player,” said De la Fuente. “He’s played as a pivot, a six, an eight, a 10 and a false nine. He can play in any of these positions. His performance in any of these positions is at the top level. He can be the best striker, the best attacking midfield player, because of his understanding of the game.”