Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino said that reducing the threat of Argentine national team captain Lionel Messi will be a “tremendous challenge” for Spain in the 2026 World Cup final scheduled for Sunday in East Rutherford.
Merino said, in statements to reporters from the Spanish national team’s training center in East Hanover, New Jersey: “It is a tremendous challenge, and an incredible motivation for me and the entire team. Being able to play against a team like Argentina, which has previously won this title, makes this match even more important, and I am very happy to play this moment.”
He added: “I have very great confidence in myself and my abilities, and every time I enter the field I believe that I am able to make an impact for the benefit of the team. But frankly, it does not matter who will be the champion, what is important is that the team wins in the end.”
He continued: “When you win a title, it belongs to everyone, not just the eleven players who start the match.”
Merino praised the talent of 19-year-old Lamine Jamal, who will play his first match against Messi, in a match that combines the present and future of FC Barcelona.
The Spanish player believed that facing Argentina would be a “strong match,” noting that the referee would be required to “control the intensity of the tackles, their frequency, and the number of errors.”
He explained: “The faster the ball moves between us, the less time the opponent has to commit mistakes.”
Merino, who said he did not clearly remember Spain’s first World Cup win in 2010, indicated his admiration for the champions of that team.
He concluded by saying: “To be able today to represent our country and to be those same players for the new generations, for the children who watch us, is something magical.”
