In a recent interview, Merino's parents revealed that they never pushed their son toward professional football, despite the sport running deep in the family. Instead, Merino's journey began organically when he was young, actively seeking out opportunities to play—including snatching footballs from other children on the beach.

Merino has become one of the cornerstone players for Spain's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, delivering standout performances in crucial moments. His father, Miguel Merino, enjoyed a lengthy career as both a player and coach, while his mother, Maite Sasón, competed at the highest level in professional basketball. Given their expertise, the couple made a conscious decision to let their son forge his own path without pressure.

"We didn't want him to become a footballer," they told DAZN with a laugh. "Just because his father played the sport doesn't mean we'd automatically push a ball into his hands—and with his mother being a professional basketball player, there was a real conflict of interest there."

What surprised them most was how independently their son gravitated toward football. "We said, let him decide for himself," they recalled. "From youth academies to the beach, he would chase down other kids' footballs and claim them for himself."

Merino himself confirmed this account in an interview with La Vanguardia, emphasizing how much his parents' restraint mattered: "My mother was very firm about one thing: she didn't want football dominating our household until I genuinely chose it myself. I never felt pressured simply because my father was a player."

The midfielder revealed that his first football came directly from his mother's observation of these beach encounters: "I didn't get my own ball until she saw me constantly taking other kids' balls in the street." After that, everything fell naturally into place, and his professional ambitions crystallized.

Throughout his development, Merino's parents remained steadfast that education must remain a priority. In his early years, he successfully balanced both academics and football, completing secondary school, passing Spain's university entrance examination, and pursuing formal sports coaching certification.

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