Merino sits inside a Spain side that has gone 35 matches without defeat, and Luis de la Fuente has them one win from a quarter-final against Belgium on Friday. The run has carried Spain into a position where they could become only the fourth team to hold the World Cup and European Championship at the same time.
De la Fuente, 65, said: "Those of us who have been in a locker room know what it means to be a good person". He also warned that "Almost every squad has had the opposite, the player who disrupts harmony, who puts himself first." That balance between collective discipline and individual appetite is the real story behind Spain's form.
De la Fuente and Merino
Since taking over in January 2023, De la Fuente has lost just three times. He is now in his fourth year as Spain boss, and Spain won the Euros two years ago, which is why the unbeaten run is no isolated spike. It sits on top of a longer structure built inside the Spanish federation, where the emphasis has stayed on players who understand the game collectively.
Spain Beat Portugal 1-0 as Merino’s Late Goal Sends La Roja Into World Cup Quarter-Finals showed how one late action can carry a knockout tie, but the larger point is the control Spain have maintained across 35 games. That is the sort of margin that lets a manager wait for the right moment rather than chase one.
Belgium on Friday
Friday is the immediate test, with Belgium standing between Spain and France. Win that quarter-final and Spain would move one step closer to a rare double crown, a position reached only by 2010 Spain, 2000 France and 1974 West Germany.
Mikel Merino strikes in the 90th minute and Spain Edge Portugal 1-0 as Merino's Late Winner Ends Ronaldo's World Cup Career both point to the same read on this team: Spain are not depending on one style alone, but on a collective that can decide games late. That mix of patience, control and a clear hierarchy is what has made the unbeaten run feel sustainable rather than accidental.
The question now is simpler than the history around it: can Spain turn 35 games without defeat into a result against Belgium, then keep that standard high enough to meet France with a title still in reach?
