Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterSpain start the 2026 World Cup as one of the favourites to win the competition as La Roja look to claim a second-ever crown following their 2010 victory.After a lacklustre showing four years ago when they failed to make it out of the group stage in Qatar, a new generation of stars are now well and truly in place and head to North America as the European Champions following their Euro 2024 victory in Germany.Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino is a key part of Luis de la Fuentes squad and as he prepares to step onto the worlds biggest stage, he is drawing inspiration from the past.Merino on Spains Golden GenerationMerino was 14 when Spain last lifted the World Cup in 2010 a tournament that understandably left a monumental impression on him.You know, I can name that whole squad on the spot: Fernando Torres, Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Sergio Busquets, David Villa, David Silva so many absolute legends, he tells FourFourTwo. You may like Spain squad World Cup 2026: Luis de la Fuente's World Cup squad is ready Lamine Yamal has matured a lot since the Euros. Hes probably the best in the world at the minute, but he cant do it on his own Mikel Merino on his game-changing Spain team-mate Declan Rice is a beast Id love to face him or Martin Odegaard at the World Cup Mikel Merino on the prospect of facing his Arsenal team-mates at the World Cup this summer Those were the players that inspired this generation of Spanish players. Following in their footsteps by representing Spain at a World Cup is unreal. Its just crazy!Merino has just added a Premier League winners medal to the Euros title he won two summers ago, but he knows lifting the World Cup would be a whole new level of success.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.It would literally be a dream come true, he adds. Those moments when you were a kid, watching your idols lifting trophies and wishing to do that yourself.Winning the World Cup would make that child inside me happy again.Spains campaign starts on Monday evening when they face Cape Verde in Atlanta, with matches against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay following in a group in which they are expected to breeze through. But Merino insists nothing will be taken for granted.Experience and history has shown that when you get too relaxed in football, anything can happen, he warns. So our mentality has been about being very humble, focused and trying to give the best version of ourselves.For Mikel Merino, set to be a key man with La Roja in North America, the added pressure is a good thing. Everyone in the Spain camp is ready to embrace it, he continues.Everyone that faces us does so in the knowledge were a top team. Expectation doesnt take the energy and the focus from us.TOPICSSpainWorld CupJoe MewisSocial Links NavigationFor more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.With contributions fromEd McCambridgeStaff Writer
