Alba Merino

Alba Merino Sánchez (born 15 May 1989) is a Spanish football midfielder who plays for Deportivo La Coruña of Spain's Segunda División. As of July 2021, she holds the record for being the youngest footballer to feature in Spain's Primera División. She also scored Deportivo's first ever goal in the Primera División.

Alba Merino
Personal information
Full name Alba Merino Sánchez
Date of birth (1989-05-15) 15 May 1989
Place of birth Guadiana del Caudillo, Spain[1]
Height 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Deportivo La Coruña
Number 8
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2007 Puebla
2007–2011 Atlético Madrid
2011–2017 Levante 161 (12)
2017–2018 Santa Teresa 28 (10)
2018– Deportivo La Coruña 52 (14)
International career
Spain U-19
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:23, 12 October 2021 (UTC)
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Merino and the second or maternal family name is Sánchez.

Career

Merino is originally from Guadiana.[2] Playing for Puebla, in 2003, she became the youngest player to feature in the top tier of women's football in Spain and, as of July 2021, she remains the holder of this record.[3] In 2007, her transfer from Puebla to Atlético Madrid was announced.[4] At Atlético, she played alongside Jennifer Hermoso and was the team's top goalscorer in the 2008–09 season.[5] In the summer of 2018, she transferred from Santa Teresa to Deportivo La Coruña.[6] While playing for Deportivo, in the club's 2018–19 season, she participated in their promotion to the Primera División, scoring 17 goals in 21 league games.[7] Merino would go on to score Deportivo's first ever goal in the top tier of Spanish football, scoring a header against Espanyol after a shot from Noelia Villegas was adjudged to have not crossed the line.[8][9] She also featured in 18 out of the team's first 21 fixtures in the 2019–20 season.[10] Following Deportivo's relegation back to the Segunda División in the following season, Deportivo renewed Merino's contract for one more season, indicating their intention to build the team around Merino.[3]

References
  1. "Alba". BDFutbol. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  2. Garcíá de Frutos, Alberto (12 June 2017). "«Tenía ganas de volver y de disfrutar del fútbol»". Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  3. Núñez, Alfonso (6 July 2021). "Alba Merino liderará el nuevo proyecto del Deportivo Abanca". El Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  4. Aznar, Carlos (8 September 2007). "Las seis caras nuevas apuestan por el equipo". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  5. Candal, Rocío (14 May 2021). "Alba Merino: "Estoy segura de que este es el año que más estoy sufriendo"" (in Spanish). Riazor. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  6. Antelo, Iván (19 February 2020). "Alba Merino se rompe la clavícula y podría ser baja dos o tres meses". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  7. Falcón, Susana (14 April 2020). "El coronavirus no frena las renovaciones: Alba Merino, deportivista hasta 2021" (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  8. Menayo, David (1 October 2019). "El Deportivo Abanca, de 'Cenicienta' a equipo revelación". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  9. "Alba Merino: «En el campo se demuestran las cosas, lo hicimos bien y aquí estamos »". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 14 September 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  10. "Alba Merino amplía su contrato con el Dépor hasta el 2021". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 14 April 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
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