Fran Mérida

Barcelona

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Mérida joined the youth ranks of FC Barcelona at the age of eight, but left the club in September 2005, being reportedly hidden away by his agent, Joseba Díaz, which led to speculation that he would leave with no compensation for the team; his parents had become uneasy about all the young players joining Barcelona and felt that he would have a better chance elsewhere; therefore, they approached Díaz, also Cesc Fàbregas' agent, and he promptly alerted Real Madrid, AC Milan and Arsenal, with the player eventually signing for the latter. On 9 October 2007, Mérida was ordered by the courts to pay a fee around €3.2 million to Barcelona as compensation for his "failing to meet the terms of a personal pre-contract" with the club. The decision was said to have serious implications for clubs in England, where players were allowed to sign professional contracts at 17, one year earlier than in Spain; in response, a Madrid-based lawyer, Rodrigo García, was quoted as saying: "English teams will now think again before signing a young Spanish player ... It's an important ruling."

Arsenal

Mérida scored in his first-team debut for Arsenal in a friendly against Boreham Wood in August 2006. He signed professional terms with the Gunners after his 17th birthday. Mérida's competitive debut came on 25 September 2007 when he came on as an added-time substitute for Eduardo da Silva in a 2–0 win against Newcastle United in the third round of…

Mérida was part of the Spain under-17 squad which won the 2007 UEFA European Championship. In July 2007 he also played for the team in the 2007 FIFA World Cup in South Korea, with the national team finishing second to Nigeria in a shootout, with him missing the second penalty of the three taken. Mérida was called up to the under-20 side for the 2009 World Cup held in Egypt: he starred in an 8–0 drubbing of Tahiti, scoring the fifth goal and providing an assist. In the next group game he continued his fine form and netted twice in a 2–0 win over Nigeria; after resting against Venezuela he played 70 minutes in the last-16 tie against Italy, which finished with a 3–1 loss.

Mérida's sister, Sara, is also a footballer and a midfielder. She played mainly for RCD Espanyol.

Atlético Madrid

UEFA Super Cup: 2010 Osasuna

Segunda División: 2018–19 Espanyol

Segunda División: 2020–21 Spain U17

UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup runner-up: 2007