Spain hero Mikel Merino mirrors father's Stuttgart celebration 33 years later

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Former Newcastle midfielder Merino came to Spain's rescue with a late winner over Germany then replicating his dad's celebration which happened in the same venue in 1991

Spain's midfielder #06 Mikel Merino celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-final football match between Spain and Germany at the Stuttgart Arena in Stuttgart on July 5, 2024
Mikel Merino celebrated scoring the winner for Spain by replicating a celebration his father did in the same venue 33 years ago (Image credit: Future)

Mikel Merino’s last-gasp winner for Spain against Germany in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals will undoubtedly go down as one of the midfielder’s career highlights.

The Real Sociedad man headed home a superb finish in the dying moments of extra-time to knock out the hosts and continue his nation’s sparkling run as they bid for a fourth European Championship crown.

Unbeknownst to many, though, the goal – and subsequent celebration – meant even more to Merino than it first seemed. The midfielder celebrated in unusual style by circling the corner flag before clenching his fists and roaring into the Stuttgart sky.

But older footage soon emerged online of his father, Angel Merino, performing exactly the same routine at the same venue 33 years earlier.

Merino Snr was also a midfielder and enjoyed a successful career at the top level of Spanish football, his longest spell coming with Osasuna between 1988 and 1994.

And it was for the Pamplona club that he scored in a 3-2 win away to Stuttgart in the second leg of a UEFA Cup second-round clash in November 1991.

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Footage from the match shows Merino celebrating his goal by circling the corner flag and punching his fists in the air.

And 33 years later, his son Mikel performed an identical routine to mark his career-defining strike against the Germans in touching fashion. 

It was Merino junior's second goal for his country and sent them into last four, where they will face France. 

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Alasdair Mackenzie

Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.