Izan Merino

Club career Born in Málaga, Andalusia, Merino joined Málaga CF's youth setup in 2015, aged nine. He made his senior debut with the reserves on 16 October 2022, starting in a 1–1 Tercera Federación home draw against FC Málaga City.

Merino made his first team debut on 6 December 2023, starting in a 1–0 home win over CD Eldense, for the season's Copa del Rey. He featured in five Primera Federación matches in the remainder of the campaign, as his side achieved promotion to Segunda División.

Merino made his professional debut on 17 August 2024, coming on as a late substitute for Juanpe in a 2–2 away draw against Racing de Ferrol. The following 20 May, he renewed his contract until 2028.

Regularly used during the 2025–26 season, Merino contributed with 39 appearances overall as the club achieved another promotion to La Liga. He made his top tier debut on 19 August 2026, starting in a 2–0 away loss to Atlético Madrid.

International career Merino is a Spain youth international. He was included in the Spain U17 squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Hungary, and in October of the same year was selected for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia. He has also represented Spain at under-18 level in friendly matches.

Merino later received a call-up to the Spain U19 for the 2025 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Romania. He was a regular starter throughout the tournament, scoring in the group-stage match against Denmark. He also played the full 120 minutes in the semi-final against Germany, which Spain won 6–5 after extra time. He started in the final, where Spain were defeated 1–0 by the Netherlands and finished as runners-up.

In September 2025, Merino was called up to the Spain U20 squad for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile. He started in the quarter-final match against Colombia, which ended in a 3–2 defeat and Spain’s elimination from the tournament.

Career statistics

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club Season League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Málaga B 2022–23 Tercera Federación 10 0 — — 2 0 12 0 2023–24 Tercera Federación 19 0 — — 2 0 21 0 Total 29 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 33 0 Málaga CF 2023–24 Primera Federación 5 0 1 0 — — 6 0 2024–25 Segunda División 25 0 1 0 — — 26 0 2025–26 Segunda División 12 0 1 0 — — 13 0 Total 42 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 45 0 Career total 71 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 78 0

Honours Spain U19 UEFA European Under-19 Championship runner-up: 2025