Mikel Merino’s parents revealed in an interview that they never wanted their son to become a footballer, but his football journey began when he was a child, stealing the ball from other kids playing on the beach.

Merino is one of Spain’s key figures at the 2026 World Cup, and his performances in crucial moments have been highly impressive. His parents, Miguel Merino and Maite Sason, recalled their son’s first encounters with football and admitted that, despite the family’s strong sporting background, they never wanted him to pursue a career in the game.

Merino’s father, Miguel, spent many years in football as both a player and a coach, giving him a deep understanding of the difficulties and challenges of professional football. His mother also competed at the highest level of basketball. Because of their own experiences, both parents wanted their son to grow up in an environment free from pressure or expectations created by the family’s sporting history, allowing him to make his own decisions about his future.

In an interview with DAZN, the couple admitted that they never encouraged Merino to play football.

“We didn’t want him to become a footballer. Just because his father was a player, we didn’t want to simply put a football in his hands. His mother also played basketball at a high level, so there could have been a conflict of interests,” they said with a laugh.

However, they soon realized that their son’s passion for football came entirely from himself, as he would actively look for every opportunity to play.

“We told him to make his own decision. From the moment he joined a youth academy, even when he was on the beach, he would go and take the ball from other children.”

Merino himself confirmed this in an interview with La Vanguardia, explaining that his family always respected his choice and never pressured him.

“My mother was very clear about one thing: before I made the decision myself, she didn’t want football to become a part of our home. She didn’t want me to feel pressure just because my father had been a footballer.”

The midfielder also revealed that the first football he ever owned came because of those childhood moments of chasing after other children’s games.

“It wasn’t until my mother saw me taking the ball from other kids on the street that I got my first football.”

From that moment on, everything developed naturally, and he began dreaming of becoming a professional player.

Although Merino had a clear goal in mind, his parents always insisted that he should never abandon his education. During the early stages of his career, he balanced football with his studies, completed high school, passed Spain’s university entrance exams, and even received training as a sports coach.