Lamine Yamal's mother has named Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino as her underrated player, as the World Cup draws closer. The Barcelona star asked his mother for her opinion on his YouTube channel after listing Ferran Torres, Thomas Muller and Gerard Martin as his own choices. "Merino from Arsenal. I'm a big fan of Merino," she replied.
Merino, who has 10 goals in 42 caps for Spain, will be one of 16 Arsenal representatives across the 48-team tournament, alongside Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz. The World Cup, the biggest yet with 48 nations, runs from 11 June to 19 July in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Spain's squad includes the injured Lamine Yamal but no Real Madrid players, while England will be without Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“Lamine Yamal's mother names Arsenal's Mikel Merino as her underrated player ahead of the 2026 World Cup.”
Other notable selections include Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both bound for a record sixth World Cup, and Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa heading to his sixth. Brazil's Neymar is in the squad, while Germany recalled 40-year-old Manuel Neuer as first-choice keeper. Norway will be led by Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, and Portugal by Ronaldo. Scotland, not in the tournament, will have their first World Cup game since 1998 broadcast by the BBC.
Meanwhile, Julian Alvarez's agent Fernando Hidalgo has denied contact from Real Madrid amid interest from Arsenal and other clubs. "We have no information on the matter, and no one has contacted us about it," Hidalgo told 365Scores. Arsenal hold a long-term interest in the Argentina international, who has refused to comment on his future but admitted months ago he could not guarantee he would stay at Atletico Madrid next season.