Mikel Merino: "As a footballer, there are behaviors that I have to avoid"

SPORTS / By Carmen Gomaro

Mikel Merino (Pamplona) comes in flip flops and socks, excusable as a footballer who recovers just over 12 hours after a demanding match. In the sports city of Twente, internationals come and go in search of their journalist, and Mikel has had EL MUNDO. Friendly, extremely polite, he escapes the classic image of a footballer tense in front of a tape recorder and jokes with whatever it takes. Son of a professional soccer player, 'mad' of Formula 1 (it is known, like almost everyone in the World Cup, the Canadian circuit where Fernando Alonso runs this Sunday thanks to the simulator that has been installed at home), Merino, one of the De la Fuente's firmest bets, talks about everything before facing Croatia tonight in search of a title.

What routines do you have after the games? It's always hard for me to sleep a lot, because we drink caffeine and carbohydrate gels before the game. So when I get home I eat as much dinner as I can fit in my body, I drink a lot of water and I usually put on a pressotherapy machine with my legs raised to try to empty them as soon as possible, and while I'm doing that, I take the opportunity to watch the game on repeat.. Then I'll take a sleeping pill. Do you have to take a sleeping pill? Yes, because if not, I might get four or five in the morning and that can't be. I sleep late, but at least I try to sleep six or seven hours. Try to be around two or three in the morning. Do you live with your partner? Because he's going to leave him if he does that after every game… The good thing I have is that I have a spectacular partner, who knows my profession and my passion very well. In fact, she is the first one who, if one day I break a rule, if one day I do, slaps me and says: 'hey, be careful with this'. Is it the same one with which you trained carrying it on your shoulders for the pandemic? Yes, the Koala thing and that… What do you remember about the pandemic? To tell you the truth, I have a good memory. Most people have a bittersweet or negative memory, and it's obvious that it was a drama, but I always try to see the positive side of things, and it was the first experience of living with my partner.. We went from seeing each other from time to time to living 24 hours locked up. It was a cool experience. I also took the opportunity to learn a bit about cooking, making desserts, cakes… Ufff! What a litmus test for the couple… Yes, yes. We knew we were in a good moment…Yeah, but they needed to confirm it with a good match, right? He speaks as if he were at a press conference. Yes, yes, that. It had to be confirmed, and it is never easy. You usually start little by little, getting together for two days, a weekend… But no, this was to live together directly, and living together, where many couples are shipwrecked, because it went very well for us. We're still here, so it's been good. What's your best dish? I make very good couscous, with vegetables, peppers and salmon. I like it.

“There are good people here”Well, football. What remains of the game against Italy? Very good feeling. In the elite, victory is very important, and when you win a semifinal and have a title a stone's throw away, the feeling is unbeatable. People can be very happy with how this team is performing. Where is Spain today? Without a doubt, we are on top. I couldn't say which step, but this team can compete against any team. We have beaten a powerful Italy, and that reaffirms me in this thought. Maybe we are not Iniesta's or Xavi's team, but there are very good players, with a great future and a great present. On Thursday morning there were quite a few people who asked what the team was playing and against whom. Do you feel that detachment? Personally I feel a lot of encouragement and attachment from the fans, because I live it and I am a player, of course. can be understandable. The Nations is relatively new, people are used to a World Cup or a Euro Cup, there are two separate games, at the end of the year…. People still find it a little difficult to follow the thread, but we feel spectacular support. Matches like the one in Italy help. How have you seen De la Fuente before and after the match? I have been lucky enough to live with him for a long time, we have both followed the same process and we have spent many hours together. I have seen him serene, calm, despite what the press has reported, he has continued in his thirteen. He has never doubted, and that has strengthened us a lot. When you see that there are doubts outside, but you see the leader so serene, so calm…. that gives you peace and tranquility. Do you read the press or listen to the radio? I try not to listen to anything or read anything. In the end there are things that come to you, of course, but I try to isolate myself. Personally, the opinion that matters most to me is that of mine, of my father, who knows what this is about, and that of those of us who know about this: players, coaches…

“Leave the children alone” Does having a father who was professional help or hurt? [Her father is Miguel Merino, a player for Osasuna, Celta and Las Palmas in the 90s]. It has helped me. When I was little, he has never been on top of me. My mother forbade him to give me balls because she didn't want that to be a pressure for me, but there was a time when I was stealing balls from other children on the street, and then yes, then my mother let him buy me a ball. avoid jail then. Well almost almost! And from there it has always been an advantage. I have someone who has walked the path that I am walking now. He knows just by looking at me how I am. After the matches we always talk about the individual, the collective… That passion comes from my father. What would you say to the parents of the children who play soccer? Leave the children alone. That they leave them alone, that they enjoy themselves, that they have a good time with friends. My father had the authority to tell me things, and in my years as a child he never said anything to me. He let the coach rule. Do you think there is a lot of nonsense in football? It certainly exists, but it is what is demanded. These kinds of things are very popular today. The tik-tok, the short video. On the one hand, I am sure that lovers of old football will not be very amused, but you have to adapt to what society demands. Do you have social networks? Yes, I do, but I use them carefully because we are in a time where there is a lot of hate and desire to hurt. I use Instagram because it is a slightly less hurtful network, the content is more visual and has less interaction. I also like to be in contact with the fans. Let them see me and know about me.

“I have my studies parked” How do you live being so young and being a reference for children, in this case in Donosti? I'm thinking of Grealish and his drunkenness…If you think about it, I have a modus operandi marked by how I am, by what I do. There are certain behaviors that I have to avoid because I am a reference for many of those who see me.. You have to be aware of it. If you can avoid certain behaviors, the better. In summer, I also have my friends to have a few drinks and enjoy, but I try to do it in places where I can't be seen and can't be seen giving a negative example.. Sure, you see Grealish do everything he does, and a 10-year-old English kid might think that's okay.. That of course the kid has every right to celebrate the Champions League, but it is true that we are very exposed! What did he learn in Germany and England? A lot. They are the two experiences that have marked me the most to be the person I am. I had good times, I met new people, but there were other bad times, not being with my parents, learning to do everything on my own…. I was a very young boy and spend moments alone, that you are not playing at all, that your parents are not there to give you advice, to talk for a while…. I learned a lot. The same were not the experiences to put into a fairy tale of princes and princesses, but they helped me. On Sunday he will play or watch F1, of which he is a fan. I really like sports in general, and Formula 1. I started to see it when I was little, with Alonso in Renault. Now I bought the game, I bought a simulator. At home at night, when my partner allows me, I go out for a few runs. I spend hours there, I do circuits, I know them, I like to watch the races. Is the famous 33 close? Near and far at the same time. He has a competitive car, but Red Bull goes by plane. Are you studying anything? Back in the day I finished high school and the Selectividad. INEF caught my attention, but I decided to put all the eggs in the soccer basket, I thought that if I had to study I could later, but the soccer train only passes once. Football demands a lot from me mentally, and now coming home and having to start studying is an effort that would not allow me to give 100% where I really want to give it, which is football.. I have studies a little apart. In all this, they play against Croatia, how do you see it? I expect a very tough match. They have a lot of individual quality, well-rounded veterans and they compete very well. It is a very tough team to beat. It doesn't matter if you get ahead, even 2-0, they will continue with their plan. And those are the beautiful matches, with top teams and players, and you have to show that you're worth it to be here.