Mikel Merino

Mikel Merino, Spanish footballer

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Born: June 22, 1996
Age in 2026: 30
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Birth year: 1996

About Mikel Merino

Mikel Merino Zazón (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmikel meˈɾino]; born 22 June 1996) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or striker for Premier League club Arsenal and the Spain national team. He began his career with Osasuna, and had short spells at Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United before signing for Real Sociedad in 2018, winning the 2019–20 Copa del Rey with the club while totalling 242 appearances and 27 goals. In August 2024, he joined Arsenal, winning the Premier League in his second season. Merino represented Spain in two European Under-21 Championships, winning the 2019 edition. He made his senior debut in 2020, being selected for Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup and winning both tournaments. On 23 August 2014, Merino made his first competitive appearance with the first team, starting in a 2–0 home win against Barcelona B in the Segunda División.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Mikel Merino was born

Mikel Merino was born in 1996. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1996

#1 song"Macarena" – Los Del Rio
Top movieThe English Patient
Top TV showER
Best-selling bookThe Runaway Jury – John Grisham

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentMichael Jordan leads Bulls to 72-10 record and 4th NBA title
Top headlineCentennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta
Technology milestoneDolly the sheep — first mammal cloned from an adult cell
Defining fadMacarena dance craze
Notable inventionPalm Pilot
World population5.77 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderBill Clinton
Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
Also wonChicago Bulls (NBA)
U.S. population265.2M

1996 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Mikel Merino's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1996	2026
Gas	$1.23	$3.45/gal
Average home	$115,800	$435,000
Average income	$44,006	$67,500
Minimum wage	$4.75	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$4.42	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.32	$0.73
Population	265.2M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Olympedia, UEFA. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.